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J 

HARPER'S LIFE INSURANCE LIBRARY 

Edited By 
John Alford Stevenson and Griffin M. Lovelace 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 
SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 

BY 
EDWARD K. STRONG, Jr./ 

CARNEGIE SCHOOL OF LIFE INSURANCE SALESMANSHIP 

PROFESSOR OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH 

CARNEGIE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY 



Endorsed by 

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF 

LIFE UNDERWRITERS 




HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS 

NEW YORK AND LONDON 

MCMXXII 



c^ 






The Psychology of Selling Life Insurance 



Copyright, 1922, by Harper & Brothers V 
Printed in the United States of America 
b-yt 



V 

FEB ^4 1922 



g)C!.A6o3889 



XJ 



L 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Preface ix 

Section A. Analysis of Sales Interviews i 

Lesson I. Analysis of the Sales Interview Between Bagley and 

Barnes 4 

Lesson II. A Second Sales Interview — Between Harrington and 

Alderson 25 

Lesson III. The Strategy of Selling as Employed by Harrington 

in Selling Alderson 42 

Lesson IV. The Tactics of Selling as Employed by Harrington 

in Selling Alderson 46 

Section B. General Principles Underlying Selling 55 
Lesson V. Analysis of Human Behavior into Its Components . 57 

Lesson VI. Analysis of Human Behavior into Its Components 

(continued) 65 

Lesson VII. Analysis of Human Behavior into Its Components 

(continued) 74 

Lesson VIII. Native and Acquired Behavior 85 

Lesson IX. Instinctive Behavior 100 

Lesson X. Man's Instinctive Behavior Toward Human Beings 112 

Lesson XI. Man's Instinctive Behavior Toward Human Beings 

(continued) 131 

Lesson XII. How to Utilize Instinctive Interests in Selling — 

Motivation 147 

Lesson XIII. Motivation (continued) 158 

Lesson XIV. Man's Instinctive Behavior Toward Objects and 

Animals 167 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Lesson XV. Acquired Interests 184 

Lesson XVI. The Utilization of Habits in Convincing Another . . 205 

Lesson XVII. Motives for Buying Life Insurance 228 

Lesson XVIII. Motives for Buying Life Insurance (continued) . . 248 

Section C. Strategy of Selling 264 

Lesson XIX. Who is My Prospect? 266 

Lesson XX. Exactly What is My Proposition? 276 

Lesson XXI. What Convictions Must the Prospect Have Before He 

Will Buy? . . . . . 288 

Lesson XXII. What Impulses Must the Prospect Have Before He 

Will Buy? 299 

Lesson XXIII. What Appeals Must I Present to the Prospect Before 
He Will Have the Desired Convictions and Im- 
pulses to Buy? 309 

Section D. The Strategy and Tactics of the Prospect 336 
Lesson XXIV. The Strategy and Tactics of the Prospect .... 337 

Section E. The Tactics of Selling 351 

Lesson XXV. Securing an Interview 354 

Lesson XXVI. Diverting Prospect's Interest to My Proposition . . 376 

Lesson XXVII. Reorganizing the Strategy „ . . 390 

Lesson XXVIII. Securing Conviction * 399 

Lesson XXIX. Handling Objections . " . . * 414 

Lesson XXX. Arousing Desire . . . ^ 435 

Lesson XXXI. Closing the Sale 448 

Appendix. A Penrod Story 465 

Index 481 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Plate I. Illustrating Motivation . . . Page 149 

Plate II. Iullustrating the Process of 

Motivation Facing p. 152 

Plate III. Illustrating an Advertisement 

with No Motivation " 154 

Plate IV. Illustrating Motivation . . " 156 



PREFACE 

Life underwriters have long been seeking some 
treatise on psychology that would explain the prin- 
ciples of selling life insurance, in non-technical lan- 
guage. Such is the purpose of this book. 

The salesman's two most difficult tasks are 
to interest the prospect and to close the sale. 
These two tasks are both very directly related to 
the psychological factor of desire. In this book 
the salesman is acquainted with man's native and 
acquired desires or interests, and is shown how 
man's needs for insurance may be translated into 
terms of desire so that the prospect will finally 
want that which life insurance provides. When he 
comes to desire the service insurance renders, the 
problem of closing largely disappears. In order to 
make every principle as concrete and practical as 
possible they are taught in connection with the 
study of five complete sales -interviews and por- 
tions of several others. 

In the past the theory of selling has been pre- 
sented either by psychologists writing on psychol- 
ogy with reference to selling or by salesmen writing 
on selling as explained by psychology. In either 
case the treatment of the subject has generally, 



x PREFACE 

though not always, been limited to a description 
of the mental processes of the individual which are 
to be aroused in the various stages of selling. The 
subjects of attention, interest, desire, and the like, 
have been analyzed, often with great detail. The 
studious salesman has been enabled to learn a 
great deal about imagination, reasoning, and 
persuasion. 

Personally, I feel very strongly that this descrip- 
tive approach is largely futile. The power to apply 
the abstract to the concrete is not so widely dif- 
fused as we would fain believe. A study of mental 
states is interesting, but what the majority of 
salesmen most need to know is the specific method 
to be taken in inducing a mental state favorable 
to buying. In other words, the salesman must 
come to appreciate the cause and effect relation- 
ships between what he says and does and what 
the prospect thinks and feels. The present volume, 
accordingly, presents the theory of selling, not in 
terms of mental states, but in terms of what the 
salesman must actually do in order to secure 
certain desired results. 

These principles could be described and applied 
in a few pages if the goal were merely an under- 
standing of the subject. Just so the moves in the 
game of chess can be learned and the principles 
understood after an hour's explanation. But one 
cannot play chess merely by comprehending. And 



PREFACE xi 

the salesman who would be successful must feel as 
well as understand. He must make the principles of 
selling a part of himself; they must come to be an 
integral, unconscious, and spontaneous component 
of all his thinking and acting. To bring this about 
he must spend much more time and effort upon 
their acquisition than is usually devoted to read- 
ing a book. And it is with the definite purpose of 
forcing this increased effort that the assignments 
have been introduced at the end of each lesson. 

A vast number of individuals are responsible for 
our present science and art of selling. Credit can 
never be given to most of them, for their ideas and 
practices were passed on to others with scarcely 
any appreciation of what was being done. To a 
few, definite reference can be made, and this I have 
tried to do throughout in the form of footnotes. 
From E. L. Thorndike, who was my first instruc- 
tor in many of the topics presented here, I have 
quoted extensively regarding man's native behav- 
ior. Through the courtesy of Booth Tarkington 
and Doubleday, Page & Co., I have been able 
to reproduce two chapters of Penrod and Sam — a 
most delightful story of boy life and especially 
useful as concrete material for illustrating many 
psychological principles. Norval A. Hawkins, the 
A. W. Shaw Company, H. Whitehead, and the 
Ronald Press have kindly permitted me to quote 
much of value from The Selling Process, Knack 



xii PREFACE 

of Selling, and the Principles of Salesmanship. 
John A. Stevenson thoroughly read the first draft 
of the manuscript, and I am indebted to him for 
many helpful suggestions employed in the revision. 
To Griffin M. Lovelace, I owe more than to anyone 
else. His personal assistance and sales-interviews, 
about which the book is written, have added 
greatly to the whole work. 

E. K. S., Jr. 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 
SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 
SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 

SECTION A. ANALYSIS OF SALES INTER- 

VIEWS 

A negro preacher was asked one day how it was 
that his congregation behaved so well. He re- 
plied: "Boss, it's dis way. Fust, I tells 'em what 
I'se gwine to tell 'em. Den I tells 'em. Den I tells 
'em what I done tole 'em." 

This book is patterned somewhat on the old 
negro preacher's scheme of driving a point home. 
First, we shall review two sales interviews, so that 
we may have some idea of what we are going to 
learn. Then we are going to learn it, and, finally, 
we are going to go over it again, emphasizing many 
of the points in still greater detail. 

Outline of the Contents in the Psychology 
of Selling Life Insurance 

The book is divided into five sections, as follows: 
Section A. Analysis of Sales Interviews. 
Section B. Motives for Buying Life Insur- 
ance. 



2 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Section C. The Strategy of Selling Life In- 
surance. 

Section D. The Strategy and Tactics of the 
Prospect. 

Section E. The Tactics of Selling Life Insur- 
ance. 

In Section A, two interviews, based upon actual 
sales, are discussed from several angles. In this 
way the reader is given a bird's-eye view of the 
entire course. In addition to this, the reader has 
ample opportunity to note the points which he 
does not understand or with which he disagrees, 
and so becomes the better prepared for the de- 
tailed discussion of the whole subject which im- 
mediately follows. 

In Section B, the psychological principles under- 
lying selling are explained in as non-technical a 
manner as possible and are directly applied to 
selling. 

The necessary steps in planning or preparing 
for a sales interview are taken up in order in Sec- 
tion C. The term "strategy" of selling has been 
employed to cover this phase of the selling process. 
Section D considers the sales interview from the 
point of view of the buyer — presenting his reasons 
for admitting the salesman to his office and what 
he expects to get out of the salesman. 

The actual procedure of selling, when the sales- 
man is face to face with the prospect, has, in this 
book, been entitled the "tactics" of selling. In 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 3 

the selling process, "tactics" covers the hand- 
ling of such problems as securing the interest of 
the prospect, making him want your proposition, 
and leading him to sign the application. In other 
words, Section E covers the science and art of 
handling the prospect. 

How the Reader May Get Most Out of the 

Book 

Most books are written with the expectation 
that the reader will simply read them through. 
Frankly, this is not the aim of the author in writing 
The Psychology of Selling Life Insurance. If a 
salesman would profit greatly from this book, he 
should read the lessons one at a time, and write 
out the assignment given at the close of each lesson 
before proceeding to the next. If he merely reads 
the book through, he may receive a certain amount 
of good. But if he would receive the maximum 
amount of good, if he would markedly improve 
his selling procedure, he must diligently apply 
himself. 

There is no short cut to self-improvement. It 
is a slow process, requiring determination, grit, 
and persistence. The assignments included herein 
have all been tried out on life insurance salesmen, 
both prospective and old salesmen, and have helped 
to enlarge their vision, to broaden their under- 
standing, and to improve their methods of selling. 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 



LESSON I. ANALYSIS OF THE SALES INTER- 
VIEW BETWEEN BAGLEY AND BARNES 

The sales interview which is presented here is based 
on an actual case. The strategy and tactics employed 
are analyzed in detail, for the points which arise in 
this interview are the points which this book is designed 
to explain. 

WILLIAM BAGLEY INTERVIEWS DR. CARTER C. BARNES i 

" Picture " of Carter C. Barnes. Dentist, , Conn. 

Age 36 (in 1919). Born May 25, 1883. 

Has $3 ,000 20-premium life insurance policy in the Hearthstone 
Life Insurance Company, taken out at age 30. No other insurance 
known. 

Married. Has three young children, a boy and two girls. 

Now practices alone, but until recently was associated with an 
older dentist, Doctor Warden. 

Income unknown; probably about $3,500 to $4,000. 

Graduate of local college; takes an active interest in college 
affairs and in his fraternity. Is a member of the Methodist Church, 
the Country Club, and the University Club. 

Wife, according to the papers, has inherited $35,000 from an 
uncle. 



1 This was an easy sale, although of the fifteen salesmen who had called on 
Doctor Barnes during the preceding year, not one had been able to interest 
him. The author is acquainted with both the successful salesman and the 
prospect and thus obtained the details of the sale. These were outlined to 
Griffin M. Lovelace, who finally wrote out the sales interview as it 
now stands. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 5 

Plan. Educational policy to provide four years' expenses for 
son's college education. 

Thirty-five-year endowment, continuous premiums, dividends ac- 
cumulated for old-age fund. 

Insurance payable as follows: Interest on principal payable to 
the boy until age eighteen (or age estimated at which he will enter 
college) if insured dies before the boy is eighteen years old. Begin- 
ning at such age the principal to be paid in installments for four 
years, payable semiannually in September and February. 

If the father lives to see the boy through college and wishes to 
change the beneficiary so as to increase the protection for his daugh- 
ters, he may do so. 

Interview. Bagley telephones Doctor Barnes, say- 
ing he wants to see him for a few minutes and asking 
what time "to-day" would be most convenient. The 
dentist says he has no engagement for three o'clock 
and that, unless he makes an appointment later, he 5 
will see Bagley at that hour. Bagley calls at three and 
finds Doctor Barnes at liberty. 

Bagley: "Doctor Barnes ?" 

Barnes: "Yes." 

Bagley: "I'm Mr. Bagley. I telephoned you this 10 
morning." 

Barnes: "Oh yes." 

Bagley : "Thank you for letting me see you promptly. 
I thought of something the other day which I believe 
is a matter of interest and importance to you and I just is 
got the details worked out yesterday. I am glad I can 
present them at once." 

Barnes: "What did you want to see me about?" 

Bagley: "Doctor Barnes, I believe you have a son?" 

Barnes: "Yes." 



6 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Bagley : "Of course he's not old enough to go to col- 20 
lege yet, is he?" 

Barnes: (Laughs.) "No, he's only ten years old. 
He's already interested in college. Says he's going to 
Wesleyan, as I did; knows all the football players and 
is better posted on Wesleyan athletics than I, although 25 
I am something of a fan myself." 

Bagley: "That's fine. It must be a source of much . 
pleasure to you to find your little son already interested 
in college and thinking definitely of going to college. 
I came to speak to you about your boy. May I sit 30 
down a moment?" 

Barnes: "Certainly." (Both sit.) 

Bagley: "From what you have just said, Doctor 
Barnes, I don't need to ask you if you believe in a col- 
lege education." 35 

Barnes: "Certainly not." 

Bagley: "You doubtless feel that Wesleyan did a lot 
for you and that you want your boy to have a college 
training. As you look back on your own experience, is 
there anything else you could give your boy which you 40 
believe would benefit him as much as a college edu- 
cation ? " 

Barnes: "No, there isn't. It's a big thing for any 
young man. It broadens his view of life, deepens his 
capacity for enjoying the better things of life, and 45 
equips him to do his part in every way." 

Bagley: "I heartily agree with you. And doesn't it 
also increase his ability to earn a living and to take a 
high rank in his community? Isn't it of real practical 
value also?" so 

Barnes: "I think it is, decidedly. But what was it 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 7 

you wanted to see me about? Aren't you with the 
Hearthstone Life Insurance Company ?" 

Bagley : " I am ; and I am glad to see from our records 
that you are insured in our company." 55 

Barnes: "Yes, I have a small policy in your com- 
pany." 

Bagley: "You haven't yet made any insurance pro- 
vision for your son's college education, have you ? " 

Barnes: "I don't understand just what you mean." eo 

Bagley: "I mean you haven't taken out an educa- 
tional policy for your boy." 

Barnes: "No. I never heard of an educational 
policy." 

Bagley: "This is the idea. If you live, you mean to 65 
see that your son gets a college education. If you 
should happen to die before he is old enough to go to 
college, or before he completes his college course, he 
may or may not get a college education, although that 
is the one thing you want him to have above all others 70 
to fit him for life. The educational policy insures your 
boy a college education. 

"When you think of the scale of living to which you 
have accustomed your family, you will realize that it 
would probably take all your present insurance and 75 
whatever investments you and Mrs. Barnes have to 
support the family properly, if you should die. 

"There might possibly be enough to pay all or a part 
of the boy's way through college, but you would no 
doubt feel a lot better satisfied if you made a special so 
provision for a four-year income payable to your son 
during his college course. Not only would you feel 
happier to know that his college education was pro- 



8 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

vided for, but you can understand that if anything 
happened to you, a high-spirited boy would probably 85 
hesitate to allow his mother to send him to college if 
the family income were not ample to provide his ex- 
penses without any sacrifice on his mother's part. 

"Of course, he might work his way through college, 
wholly or in part. Many boys do so and there are per- 90 
sons who seem to think it is a good thing for a boy to 
have to do so. But I have talked with college teachers 
and administrators who are strongly of the opinion 
that the boy who has to work his way entirely is under 
a distinct handicap; that so much of his time is re- 95 
quired to earn a living that his studies suffer, no matter 
how conscientious and industrious he may be." 

Barnes: "I really hadn't thought very much about 
it. Indeed, I had never seriously considered the pos- 
sibility of my not being able to see the boy through 100 
college myself." 

Bagley: "But we must face the fact, mustn't we, 
Doctor, that there is such a possibility? About one 
father in five does not live long enough to see his boy 
through college. You are in good health and have 105 
every reason, so far as your personal and family history 
are concerned, to hope to see your boy through college. 
But there is in your case, as in mine and as in the case 
of every man, the possibility that our expectations will 
not be realized. You have seen men in the best of 110 
health, men of good habits, and of long-lived families, 
cut down suddenly by pneumonia or some other dis- 
ease; and many of them were not prepared to go, so far 
as provision for their children's future was concerned. 
No doubt you knew Doctor Kellar." 115 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 9 

Barnes: "Yes, I knew Kellar." 

Bagley: "A fine man. One of the best physicians 
in the city; in the prime of life, in good health; just 
arrived at a position of distinction in his profession 
and earning a good income. But the influenza took 120 
him and we find that, financially, he was not ready to 
go. He had a son at the Taft School last year; but 
this year the boy has been in the local high school, and 
I understand the family is not left in very good circum- 
stances. If this boy goes through college, he will have 125 
to work his way, unless some friend or relative helps 
him out, and that will be a source of embarrassment to 
him and to his mother. 

"What a fine thing it would have been, if Doctor 
Kellar had had such a plan for his boy as the educational 130 
policy I am prepared to submit for your consideration." 

Barnes: "What is the proposition?" 

Bagley: "How much do you think your boy would 
need each year to see him through Wesleyan?" 

Barnes: "Well* he could live at home. I should 135 
think his other expenses would be at least three or four 
hundred dollars." 

Bagley: "Wouldn't it be well to figure for him as if 
he would have to pay his board, so that he would be 
prepared for anything that might happen? Let me uo 
show you the plan I had worked out, as a minimum for 
tuition, board, clothes, books, college activities. 

"I estimated about #900 a year. From what I can 
gather from various sources, I judge that this might 
be considered a fair minimum to-day. Formerly a 145 
smaller amount might have been enough. But costs 
are much higher now, as all of us know. Each thou- 



io THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

sand dollars of insurance will provide about two hun- 
dred and sixty dollars a year for four years; #3,500 will 
provide about nine hundred dollars a year for four 150 
years. This can be settled in semiannual payments, 
say the first of September and the first of February, 
just at the time of the year when there will be special 
college expenses. 

"The amount of insurance is small. It is really quite 155 
wonderful to think that for such a small amount of in- 
surance your boy could have the benefit of four years at 
college, if anything happened to you, just as surely and 
under almost as favorable circumstances as if you were 
living, without requiring any sacrifice on the part of his igo 
mother, independent of assistance from anybody, and 
without the necessity of devoting any of the time needed 
for his studies to working his way through. Is there 
anything else that would mean so much to your boy 
at such a time ? Is there anything else that would make 165 
him more appreciative of his father, anything else that 
would more surely tend to keep alive in his heart all his 
life a deep affection and high regard for the memory of 
his father? The fact that his father had had the fore- 
sight and the sense of responsibility and the love for 170 
him to provide for his college education would seem to 
him the most certain evidence of all that his father was 
the kind of a father he had always believed him to be." 

Barnes: "That is a fine proposition, Mr. Bagley. 
I'm very much interested. As a matter of fact, I've 175 
been thinking lately of taking some more insurance." 

Bagley: "How much have you now, Doctor?" 

Barnes: "The three thousand dollars in your com- 
pany and four thousand dollars in the Mutual Aid Com- 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE u 

pany. I have been talking with one or two agents who iso 
have been in to see me and had thought I would take 
out a little more insurance, but they had not presented 
anything concrete, as you have done. I want to do 
something for my children. Mrs. Barnes has some in- 
dependent means and the seven thousand dollars 1 185 
already have is payable to her. I wouldn't want to 
change that; but I felt I might take some insurance for 
the children. This plan of yours is definite. It accom- 
plishes the very thing I would want to do for the boy 
above all others. What is the premium?" 190 

Bagley: "If you agree, I'm going to put this on the 
thirty-five-year old-age plan. The annual deposit is 
very little more than on the ordinary life plan. At age 
thirty-six, the ordinary life deposit is twenty-seven dol- 
lars and seventeen cents a thousand. For the plan I 195 
offer, the thirty-five-year old-age policy, it is only 
twenty-nine dollars and ninety-one cents. The policy 
is participating. If you leave your dividends to ac- 
cumulate at interest and we succeed in paying continu- 
ously on about the same dividend scale as we are now 200 
paying, the policy would become fully paid up in your 
early sixties and would mature a few years later, pro- 
vided you pay the full premium every year. 

"This is a plan we often advise for professional men 
who may feel the need of retiring in the sixties. It is 205 
not only a splendid plan for the boy, but is a good thing 
for you, if you live out your natural lifetime. Don't 
you think it is a fine combination ?" 

Barnes: "Yes, it looks pretty good. I suppose this 
policy has all the usual features, cash values, paid-up 210 
and extended insurance, and all the usual privileges ?" 



12 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Bagley: "Yes, all of them. It's a beautiful contract 
and when I get the policy we will go over all the details 
together." (Gets out the application and his pen, asks 
the usual questions, and is particularly careful to get 215 
the questions regarding the beneficiary right. Barnes 
signs and Bagley gets a check for eighty-nine dollars 
and seventy-three cents and arranges to have the exam- 
ination made that evening.) 

"There is just one important thing, Doctor, that I 220 
am going to leave until to-morrow, but I want to get it 
settled, if possible, before we send your papers to the 
Home Office. Please figure out when you expect your 
boy to enter college, whether in his eighteenth or nine- 
teenth year, so that we may specify that, in the event 225 
of your death before he enters college, the income pay- 
ments shall begin at the age of entry, eighteen or nine- 
teen, as the case may be. There are certain details that 
will have to be arranged when we know the age at which 
he will probably enter college." 230 

Barnes: "All right, I'll think that over to-night." 

Bagley : " Doctor Barnes, you have one or two daugh- 
ters, haven't you?" 

Barnes: "Yes, two." 

Bagley: "As I understand your plans for the protec- 235 
tion of your children, I believe you would be interested 
in something concrete to consider for each of your 
daughters, just as you have selected a concrete propo- 
sition for the boy. Will you give me the names and 
ages of your daughters?" 240 

Barnes: "Madeline Embry and Eleanor Louise. 
They are twelve and seven years of age." 

Bagley: "Thank you, Doctor; I'll want a day or so 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 13 

to work out a plan carefully for each of them. I'll drop 
in when the plans are ready. Good-by. Thank you 243 
very much, Doctor." 

Barnes: "Good-by; I'm much obliged to you." 

THE STRATEGY AND TACTICS OF SELLING 

Selling, as we have pointed out, has two distinct 
phases, which are here entitled the "strategy" and the 
"tactics" of selling. 

Strategy covers the "generalship," the planning of 
the sale, before meeting the prospect. Tactics, on the 
other hand, embraces the method of procedure in 
handling the prospect when face to face with him. 

The major points under these two headings — "Strat- 
egy" and "Tactics" — are noted below and illustrated 
in terms of the Bagley-Barnes interview. 

THE STRATEGY OF SELLING 

(Illustrated 'from the Bagley-Barnes Interview) 

To draw up a good plan, the following points must 
be considered: 

1. Prospect. To whom am I selling? Answered by 
"picture" of Carter C. Barnes on page 4. A descrip- 
tion of the interests and personality of the prospect so 
far as Bagley was able to ascertain them. 

2. Proposition. Exactly what am I selling? Out- 
lined in the "Plan" on page 5. A statement of the 
specific proposal to be submitted to Barnes. (Of course, 
circumstances arising during the interview may lead to 
a revision of the scheme worked out in advance, but 
the salesman should have a definite plan at the start.) 



i 4 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

3. Convictions. What convictions must the pros- 
pect have before he will buy? A study of the sales in- 
terview reveals that Bagley figured Barnes would buy 
if he had the following convictions, plus the feelings 
enumerated in the next paragraph. 

a. My son must go to college. 

b. He should not work his way through college. 

c. I may die before that time. 

d. An educational policy makes my son's col- 
lege education a certainty and eliminates a 
possible heavy burden from my wife; it 
further eliminates the necessity of my boy 
working his way through college. 

e. Details of policy are satisfactory: covers col- 
lege expenses, provides endowment features, 
and costs but a small amount. 

4. Impulses. What impulses must the prospect 
have before he will buy? Men do not buy because of 
an argument (presentation of facts), although they 
think they do. They buy because their emotions have 
been aroused in such a way that buying seems the most 
natural thing to do under the circumstances. Bagley 
deliberately stirred up Barnes's emotions by appealing 
to: 

a. Love for his son. 

b. Very great interest in his college. 

c. Love for his wife. 

d. Desire for approval. (Doctor Kellar had not 
provided for his son, but Barnes would. 
Hence others would approve of Barnes, as 
they disapproved of Doctor Kellar. Also 
approval from his son would be gained.) 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 15 

e. Fighting instinct — to struggle against diffi- 
culties in order properly to take care of son, 
wife, and daughters. 

5. Appeals. What ideas and incitements must I 
present so that the prospect will have the necessary 
convictions and impulses to buy? Convictions are de- 
veloped through the presentation of ideas; impulses 
are aroused through the use of incitements. Conse- 
quently, the fifth step in the strategy of selling is to 
determine upon the ideas and incitements to use in 
order that the prospect will finally be possessed of 
and activated by certain convictions and impulses. 

As to the ideas to be used in convincing Barnes — 
Barnes was already strongly possessed of the conviction 
that his son must go to college. Hence all that would 
be necessary would be to bring this idea clearly into 
his mind. And since he was so interested in the sub- 
ject, it would make an excellent introduction to the 
whole proposition. 

Barnes would probably be convinced that his boy 
should not work his way through college. To play 
safe, it would be well to anticipate any possible objec- 
tion on this point and to establish the conviction. 

Barnes would not be convinced that he might die 
before his boy finished college. This point must then 
be emphasized until he was thoroughly convinced of 
its possibility and the probable consequences (see lines 
65-72,98-131). 

The details of the proposition would, of course, be 
unknown to Barnes. The amount of the policy could 
best be determined by getting Barnes to figure with 
Bagley the cost of a college education (133-147). The 



16 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

endowment feature should be played up. (But because 
Barnes was sold on the basis of protecting the boy's 
education this ammunition was not used, except sim- 
ply in passing) (204-208.) (Details of cost also were 
not enlarged upon, for the same reason.) 

As to the incitements to be used in arousing Barnes's 
impulses to buy — The impulses are listed above. Just 
how Bagley aroused them is recorded below under the 
heading, "Presenting the Proposition." Before he 
called upon Barnes he figured out approximately what 
he would say so as to arouse Barnes to thinking of his 
love for his boy and wife, and of his determination to 
secure their approval and that of others through carry- 
ing out such a program. 

THE STRATEGY OF THE PROSPECT 

(Illustrated from the Bagley-Barnes Interview) 

Without going into detail at this point, it is sufficient 
to state that the strategy of the buyer is to size up the 
salesman's proposition as soon as possible and, unless 
it is interesting, to dismiss the salesman in a courteous 
manner. 

Evidences of this are: 

a. "What did you want to see me about?" 

(17)- 

b. "But what was it you wanted to see me 
about? Aren't you with the Hearth- 
stone Life Insurance Company?" (51-53). 
(Barnes commences to size up the prop- 
osition and dimly remembers Bagley is 
connected with this company.) 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 17 

c. "I don't understand just what you mean" 
(60). (Still unable to size up the proposi- 
tion.) 

d. "I never heard of an educational policy" 

From this point on he is so interested in the proposi- 
tion that he makes no further effort to escape. 



THE TACTICS UTILIZED BY BAGLEY IN SELLING BARNES 

1. Securing an Interview. 

a. Secures appointment over phone (1-5). 

b. Calls at 3 p.m. Introduces himself (6-10). 

c. "I have a matter of interest and importance 
to present to you" (13-16). 

2. Diverting Interest. 

a. "I have a matter of interest and importance 
to present to you" (13-16). 

b. "I believe you have a son" (19). 

c. Son going to college (20-30). 

d. " May I sit down a moment ? " Both sit (30- 
32). 

e. College education (33-50). 

f. Reply to Barnes's question, "Glad to see 
you have insurance with our company" (54- 

55)- 

g. Educational policy (58-). 

Barnes's reply, "I never heard of an educational 
policy" (63) clearly shows his mind has been thoroughly 
diverted from his own work to Bagley's proposition. 

(Note the extent to which "Diverting Interest" 
overlaps with "Securing an Interview" and with "Pre- 



1 8 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

senting the Proposition" and "Closing the Sale." Sel- 
dom does one phase of the tactics end and the next 
phase commence at a particular point in the interview.) 

3. Reorganizing the Strategy. During the interview 
it frequently becomes clear that the "picture" of the 
prospect secured before seeing him is inadequate or 
false in certain respects. In consequence, it is neces- 
sary to reorganize the plans made prior to the call. In 
this particular case, there is no indication of any such 
reorganization. 

4 a. Presenting the Proposition — The Argument. 

a. Introduction (19-44). 

(1) "I believe you have a son?" (19). 

(2) Son going to college (20-30). 

(3) "You believe in a college education" 

(33-5o)- 

b. Educational policy (58-97). 

(1) Assures son of college education (65- 
72). ^ 

(2) Family income not affected by ex- 
pense of son going to college (73-88). 

(3) Son will not have to work his way 
through college (89-97). 

c. Possibility of Barnes dying (65-128). 

(1) Hinted at above (65-97). (Barnes 
mentions possibility) (98-101). 

(2) The possibility must be faced (102- 
114). 

(3) Case of Doctor Kellar (115-128). 

d. The proposition (129-214). 

(1) Based on cost of boy going to college 
(129-147). 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 19 

(2) Cost of policy (147-154). 

(3) Details of policy: (a) costs little more 
than ordinary life plan; (b) will ma- 
ture on an old-age cash payment in the 
sixties; (c) a policy recommended to 
professional men (191-214). 

In this sales interview the latter part of "Presenting 
the Proposition" is intimately dovetailed into "Closing 
the Sale," for Barnes was practically sold before the 
details of the proposition had been described. 

4 b. Presenting the Proposition — The Feeling Aspect 
(Heart-throb). 

a. Love for son. 

(1) Son mentioned (19). 

(2) Son and college (20-30). 

(3) "Is there anything else you could give 
your boy which you believe would 
benefit him as much as a college edu- 
cation?" (39-42). 

(4) "You feel happier" to provide an edu- 
cation for him. "High-spirited boy" 
would hesitate to allow his mother to 
"sacrifice for him" (85-88). 

(5) Boy handicapped if he worked his way 
through college (89-97). 

(6) "Is there anything else that would 
mean so much to your boy at such 
a time? Is there anything else 
that would make him more apprecia- 
tive of his father, anything else that 
would more surely tend to keep alive 

3 in his heart all his life a deep affection 



20 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

and high regard for the memory of his 
father? The fact that his father had 
had the foresight and the sense of re- 
sponsibility and the love for him to 
provide for his college education would 
seem to him the most certain evidence 
of all that his father was the kind of a 
father he had always believed him to be 
(163-173). 

b. Very great interest in his college (20-30), 
(33~5°)> (59 to end). 

c. Love for wife. 

(1) Income from the investments of self 
and Mrs. Barnes only sufficient to 
support the family (73-77). 

(2) A high-spirited boy would probably 
hesitate to allow his mother to sacrifice 
for him (85-88). 

(3) Kellar's boy will probably be a source 
of embarrassment to his mother. (Im- 
plies that unless Barnes takes the in- 
surance his wife will be in the same 
situation) (125-128). 

(4) Without requiring any sacrifice on 
the part of his mother (1 60-161). 

d. Desire for approval. 

(1) From others. Doctor Kellar's case so 
presented as to make Barnes look 
down upon Kellar for his failure to 
provide for his son. Indirectly, Barnes 
must feel that unless he takes the in- 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 21 

surance others will not approve of his 
actions (115-131). 
(2) From his own son. In case of his 
death, this educational policy would 
make son realize how much the father 
loved him, etc. (165-173). 
e. Fighting instinct. 

(1) Reference to needs of wife or children 
stirs a father to redoubled efforts to 
provide what is needed. See items 
under (a) and (c) above. 

(2) Implication that Barnes may not get 
what he most wants (college education 
for his son) challenges him to fight 
for it (66-72). 

(Note that the* argument is logically developed dur- 
ing the sales interview, whereas the appeals to feeling 
appear at many points throughout the interview and 
absolutely in no logical order. This is typical of a good 
sales talk.) 

5. Closing the Sale. 

Securing final acceptance is a process of leading the 
prospect from an inactive state to one of activity and 
utilizing this activity to sign the contract. Hence, 
every part of the interview that arouses activity (see 
especially, "4 b. Presenting the Proposition — The Feel- 
ing Aspect") is a part of the close. Also every act of 
the salesman which leads the prospect to say "Yes" by 
word of mouth or by any act is also a part of the close, 
a. Introduction to closing. 

(1) "I believe you have a son." "Yes" 
(19-20). 



22 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

(2) "Of course, he's not old enough to go 
to college yet, is he?* 1 (20-26). 

(3) "May I sit down a moment ?" " Cer- 
tainly " (30-32). 

(4) " I don't need to ask you if you believe 
in a college education." "Certainly 
not" (34-36). 

(5) " Is there anything else you could give 
your boy?" etc. "No, there isn't" 

(39-46). 

(6) "And doesn't it also increase his abil- 
ity to earn a living?" etc. "I think it 
is, decidedly" (47-51). 

(7) "I am glad to see you are insured 
in our company." "Yes," etc. (54- 

56). 

(8) "You haven't yet made any insurance 
provision for your son's college educa- 
tion, have you?" "I don't under- 
stand," etc. (58-60). 

(9) "You haven't taken out an educa- 
tional policy for your boy." "I never 
heard of an educational policy" (61- 

64). 

(10) "No doubt you knew Doctor Kellar." 
"Yes, I knew Kellar" (115-116). 

(1 1) "What a fine thing it would have been 
if Doctor Kellar had had such a propo- 
sition for his boy as the educational 
policy I am prepared to submit for your 
consideration' 1 "What is the propo- 
sition?" (129-132). 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 23 

b. Closing. 

(1) Questions and "forced " answers lead- 
ing to a determination of amount of 
policy (133-154). 

(2) Summary of argument and emotional 
appeal (155-173). "That is a fine 
proposition. I'm very much inter- 
ested. As a matter of fact, I've been 
thinking lately of taking some more 
insurance" (174-176). 

(3) "How much have you now?" De- 
tailed answer, ending with request as 
to amount of premium (177-190). 

(4) " Don't you think it is a fine combina- 
tion plan?" "Yes, it looks pretty 
good," etc. (207-211). 

(5) Gets out application, asks usual ques- 
tions. Barnes signs and makes out 
check. 

(6) "When do you expect son to enter 
college?" (223-230). 

c. Steps to close a second policy for Barnes's 
two daughters (232-245). 

ASSIGNMENT TO BE COMPLETED BEFORE READING 
LESSON II * 

Write out your answers to the following questions, as 
based on the Bagley-Barnes interview. 

1 As already stated, the book is so prepared that the reader may either 
read it right through or he may use it as a text, like those furnished by a 
correspondence school. Time spent on writing out the assignments will net 
the reader greater gain in knowledge and ability than the same amount of time 
spent in mere reading. 



24 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

i. What is meant by the Strategy of Selling? 
What are the main elements of the Strategy? 

2. What is meant by the Tactics of Selling? 
What are the main elements of the Tactics ? 

3. At what point do each of the five elements of 
the Tactics begin and end? 



LESSON II. A SECOND SALES INTERVIEW 

Sales interviews are of such importance that another 
example is presented in this lesson. 1 

MEMORANDUM OF SALES INTERVIEW BETWEEN HARRING- 
TON AND ALDERSON2 

"Picture" of John B. Alderson. Wholesale Shoe Merchant, 
Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Firm Rating — #100,000. Personal Wealth, $500,000. 

Age — About 50. 

Married. Has two children; daughter 18, son 10. 

Director of the Faithful Trust Company, and Round Tube 
Works. 

Member of Episcopal Church and very active in church work. 

Member of House Committee, P Golf Club. 

Member D Club, Chamber of Commerce, and interested in 

Salvation Army and School for the Blind. 

Native Pennsylvanian; has lived in Pittsburgh since youth. 

Has traveled extensively in America and Europe. Spends sum- 
mers at seashore and is said to be a great fisherman. 

1 At this point in the book we are only interested in getting a bird's-eye 
view of a sales interview. Do not be worried, then, if you have not grasped 
the significance of all the details given in Lesson I. If you were able to do 
so, you would hardly need to study these lessons. Each detail will be elab- 
orated in its proper turn. 

The answers to the three questions given at the close of Lesson I are 
amply answered in the detailed analysis of the Bagley-Barnes sales inter- 
view given in that lesson. 

2 This sales interview is based on an actual case. It was written expressly 
for this book by Griffin M. Lovelace. 



26 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Best chess player in his club. 

Is a collector of autographs of famous persons and is said to have 
a complete collection of autographs of the Presidents of the United 
States. 

Said to be easy of access, but very hard to get an interview with 
if he is not already interested in the matter to be submitted. 

Reported as courteous, even tempered, dignified, but firm and 
quick in his decisions. 

One of his clerks says Wednesday or Thursday afternoon is the 
best time to see him. 

Outline of Plan to Submit to Mr. John B. Alderson. 
"Trust" plan; $100,000. Ordinary life basis. Entire 
sum to be held by the company at his death, interest- 
income, approximately $4,500 a year, being payable 
entirely to his wife except that when the daughter 
reaches twenty-one and the boy eighteen, each shall 
then receive an income of approximately $1,000 a year. 
At mother's death, the balance of $2,500 to be paid 
share and share alike to the daughter and son. At age 
thirty the boy is to receive $50,000 paid in a lump sum. 
The daughter will draw the income on $50,000 during 
her lifetime, and at her death the principal sum will 
be paid to her children if she has any. If she is 
without issue, her interest shall revert to her brother, 
if living. 

Interview. Harrington calls on Alderson on a Wed- 
nesday afternoon. He enters the store and starts for 
the office, which is in the rear. A clerk asks what he 
"can do for him." He says he wants to see Mr. Aider- 
son, and passes on to the office, which he enters without 
hindrance. Alderson, whom he knows by sight, is 
seated at a mahogany desk, talking with an employee 
who is showing him some papers. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 27 

Harrington waits at a considerable distance from the 
desk, but not too near the door. He is glad of a mo- 10 
ment to look about him. The furniture is mahogany, 
but quite modern, with the exception of a chair, a comb- 
back Windsor, which is manifestly a very old one. 

Photo portraits of Washington, Lincoln, and Roose- 
velt link up with what he has heard of Mr. Alderson's 13 
interest in the Presidents and give a clue to his political 
tendencies. A golf bag stands in a near-by corner, but 
the initials T. W. P. show that it does not belong to 
Alderson. On the desk is a photograph of a young boy 
in a bathing suit standing on the gunwale of a dory. 20 

Harrington has a fair knowledge of old furniture. 
He crosses to the Windsor chair and examines it care- 
fully, which act is not lost on Alderson. 1 

The employee leaves the office and Mr. Alderson 
turns to greet his caller. 25 

Alderson: "Good afternoon." 

Harrington: "How do you do, sir? You are Mr. 
Alderson, are you not?" 

Alderson: "Yes." 

Harrington: "Mr. Alderson, my name is Harrington. 30 
I hope you will pardon my curiosity in examining your 
old comb-back Windsor, but I noticed that it is a par- 
ticularly fine piece and doubtless a very old one, prob- 
ably from New England." 

Alderson: "You are right. That chair was made by 35 



1 The use of the chair in the introduction to this interview is natural under 
the circumstances, but, of course, is not necessary. It is often helpful, how- 
ever, to make use of a man's hobby if it can be done in a natural way. The 
interview could well start at line 6q. 



28 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

my great-great-grandfather. He was a sea captain in 
Gloucester, Massachusetts, and a very good amateur 
cabinetmaker. When he was at home, between voy- 
ages, he used to make furniture in his workshop back 
of the old house. At home I have a number of pieces 40 
made by him." 

Harrington: "How fortunate you are. I am very 
much interested in old furniture, but I don't see very 
much of it. I haven't inherited any. I have a few 
pieces I got in Philadelphia — an old Pembroke table, a 45 
chest of drawers, a small Heppelwhite sideboard, and 
a pair of knife and fork cases. But I have several books 
on old furniture and I like the pictures of the early New 
England furniture very much. This Windsor chair of 
yours is the first piece I have ever really seen." 50 

Alderson replies and talks at length about old New 
England furniture; shows Harrington an antique fur- 
niture book he has just bought. They spend at least 
ten minutes in this way. (Note that Harrington had 
not noted anything about Alderson's old-fashioned 55 
furniture hobby in the "picture," but as soon as he saw 
the Windsor chair he realized that here was probably 
a common interest and the easiest one through which to 
begin to dig into Alderson's associated interests.) 

Suddenly Alderson "comes to." 60 

Alderson: "But I'm taking your time. You wanted 
to see me." 

Harrington: "Of course, but I am very glad to have 
had you tell me so much about your furniture. I am 
deeply interested. May I sit down a minute?" 65 

Alderson: "Certainly. Have that chair." (Har- 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 29 

rington draws the chair close to Alderson's desk and 
sits.) 

Harrington: "I want to talk to you about a comple- 
tion plan." 70 

Alderson: "To complete what?" 

Harrington: "Anything you can't finish yourself — 
when all your plans must come to an end or be carried 
on by some one else." 

Alderson: "Life insurance?" 75 

Harrington : " Life insurance — plus ! " 

Alderson: "Plus what?" 

Harrington: "Plus corporate administration." 

Alderson: "What do you mean?" 

Harrington : " Mr. Alderson, you believe in corporate so 
trusteeship as against individual trustees, don't you ? " 

Alderson: "Certainly." 

Harrington: "You believe that the corporate trus- 
teeship gives greater safety of principal, certainty of in- 
terest, and service to the beneficiary of the trust than is 85 
afforded under individual trusteeship, don't you?" 

Alderson: "Of course. But what has all this to do 
with life insurance? I don't need any; don't want any; 
am not going to buy any." 

Harrington: "Then we are in absolute agreement. 90 
For I don't think you need any and I don't want to sell 
you any — as such. But I would like to have your opin- 
ion on a certain feature of corporate trusteeship. 

"To illustrate my point in advance: In order to es- 
tablish a trust valued at $100,000, somebody must put 95 
up $100,000 in cash, or real estate, or stocks, or bonds, 
or mortgage bonds, or a combination of these. The 
trust company may find some poor investments. Un- 



30 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

less prevented by the nature of the trust, it sells them 
at the best possible prices and puts the money into good 100 
investments. It gets the best interest rates it can with- 
out taking undue risks as to principal. But is it a func- 
tion of the trust company or is it within its province to 
guarantee the principal against all hazards and to 
guarantee a minimum rate of interest ?" 105 

Alderson: "No, certainly not. But I don't see what 
you are driving at and I don't want any life insurance. 
Frankly, you are wasting your time, Mr. Harrington, 
and without meaning to be uncivil, I may add that I 
am very busy this afternoon." (He rises as if to 110 
dismiss the salesman.) 

Harrington: (Starts to rise, but pauses on the edge 
of his chair, puts his hand in his pocket, and draws out 
a coin, concealing it in his closed fist, which he holds 
out.) "Excuse me just a moment, Mr. Alderson. 1 115 
want to ask you just one question." (Slight pause.) 
"Can you tell me what I have in my hand?" 

Alderson: "Why — no, of course not!" 

Harrington: (Opens his hand.) "Can you tell me 
now?" 120 

Alderson: "Certainly." 

Harrington: "A fifty-cent piece. And why is it you 
can tell me now what I have in my hand and a moment 
ago you couldn't? Simply because you have seen in- 
side my hand. You have looked into it. Won't you 125 
give me ten minutes and take a look into my proposi- 
tion? — otherwise you won't really know what it is. 
Then, if you are not interested, I'll go promptly." 
(Looks at his watch.) 

Alderson: (Smiles, and looks at his watch, and sits 130 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 31 

down.) "All right, I'll give you ten minutes, but no 
more." 

Harrington: "Then I must work fast and you won't 
interrupt me, will you?" 

Alderson: "No. Go ahead." 135 

Harrington: "We will have to go back a little. You 
had just confirmed my understanding that it is not the 
function or the province of a trust company to guaran- 
tee either principal or interest. But wouldn't it be to 
the advantage of the person making the trust and of the 140 
beneficiary if the principal and a certain rate of interest 
were guaranteed?" 

Alderson: "Obviously, but it can't be done. Evi- 
dently you don't understand the trust business, Mr. 
Harrington. Let me explain the principles of the trust 145 
business to you." 

Harrington: (Looks at his watch, and smiles.) 
"Time out?" 

Alderson: "Yes, time out." (He discourses for ten 
or fifteen minutes on the business of trust companies. 150 
Harrington listens attentively, glad to have Alderson 
talking. After a while Alderson stops and says): 
"Well, that gives you a bird's-eye view of the trust 
business, Mr. Harrington." 

Harrington: "And it is not only informing, but most 155 
interesting, Mr. Alderson. I'd like to know more about 
the trust business. I'd like to get something to read on 
the subject." 

Alderson: "I'll be glad to introduce you to our trust 
officer; he has some things he could let you read." ieo 

Harrington: "Good. I'll take the liberty of remind- 
ing you of that. I'm a great believer in the trust com- 



32 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

panies and I recommend to my clients that they * trus- 
tee' their real and personal property whenever I get 
an opportunity. I am really a booster for the trust i63 
companies. But some of my clients ask me the same 
question I asked you a few minutes ago." 

Alderson: "What was that?" 

Harrington: "Whether or not the trust companies 
would guarantee the principal and a minimum rate of no 
interest." 

Alderson: "Oh, well, what is the sense in that ques- 
tion, anyhow?" 

Harrington: "Well, I'm going to explain that. It 
is really the most important point of my proposition, 175 
save one. You see, the life insurance company I repre- 
sent acts in somewhat the same capacity as a trustee 
also. No competition with the trust companies, for it 
does not handle ordinary estates. It only manages the 
proceeds of its policy contracts in order to prevent loss iso 
and waste of the principal and to make sure that a man's 
purpose of providing a living for his family is carried 
out. But under our plan the life insurance money is 
simply held as a part of the company's general invested 
funds. It is mingled with the general funds. No indi- 185 
vidual investment is made. Therefore, there is no risk 
or loss of the principal. Any losses the company may 
sustain come out of the general fund, and as the com- 
pany carries a big surplus to provide against contin- 
gencies, there is always money enough to provide in 190 
full for the company's obligations. 

"A man dies and leaves a policy of $100,000 and 
whenever it is called upon to settle, the company must 
be able to pay in cash. But the company will hold the 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 33 

principal for the beneficiary and pay interest as long as 195 
may have been specified- Three per cent interest is 
guaranteed. But the company pays a surplus interest. 
At present it is one and a half per cent, making a total 
of four and a half per cent." 

Alderson: "Four and a half per cent is not large." 200 

Harrington: "As you are a bank director, I do not 
need to ask you why municipal bonds pay about four 
per cent to four and a half per cent, while stocks pay 
seven per cent to ten per cent. We know it is simply a 
question of safety. When you buy a security which is 205 
practically guaranteed, the rate is always low, isn't it ? " 

Alderson: "Yes." 

Harrington: "And when you are gone you would 
probably rather have your family depend on four and 
a half per cent investments than on six, eight, or ten 210 
per cent stocks. Now these are my first points — the 
principal and the minimum interest are guaranteed. 
But the big point is this : when a trust is established in 
the usual way, with stocks and bonds and real estate 
of say #100,000, the estate must have the value of #100,- 215 
000, mustn't it?" 

Alderson: "Of course." 

Harrington: "Well, you can see that, in this respect, 
our proposition is wonderful. Instead of having to put 
up an estate of #100,000 on which your beneficiary will 220 
have to pay taxes, after you're gone, you pay the taxes, 
or premiums while you are here and the company puts 
up the #100,000 when you're gone. The company 
creates the principal, guarantees it, and guarantees a 
minimum interest rate. Really, Mr. Alderson, is there 225 
anything else in the world like it ? " 



34 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Alderson: "No, I guess there isn't. It really is a re- 
markable proposition, after all. Oh, I haven't any 
objections to life insurance — I really think it is a fine 
thing, but I have all I need, together with my other 230 
estate." 

Harrington: "I'm glad to hear you say that you be- 
lieve in life insurance, Mr. Alderson. I really felt sure 
you did. In fact, practically everybody does, these 
days. Mr. Roosevelt" (pointing to his picture) "was 235 
well insured. He had a considerable estate, but he car- 
ried a large amount of life insurance. By the way, here 
is a fine comment he made on life insurance" (taking a 
pamphlet from his pocket). 

"Mr. Alderson, I want to tell you a little secret — a 240 
little professional secret" (pointing to a picture on 
Alderson's desk). "There's a picture of a manly-look- 
ing lad standing on the gunwale of a dory; has on his 
bathing suit; having the time of his young life enjoying 
his vacation at the seashore. Well, I found out some- 245 
thing about that boy before I came in to see you. I 
know some people whom you know, too, and casually 
I asked some questions about you and your family, not 
out of curiosity — no, but because I wanted to see if 
there was any way in which I might be able through my 250 
company to be of service to you and your family. Don't 
think I've been prying into your family affairs — I 
haven't. All I know I'm going to lay on the table now 
in connection with a plan I've been shaping to fit your 
situation as I saw it. 255 

"You and Mrs. Alderson have, I am told, two chil- 
dren, who are a source of satisfaction to you, as both of 
them have done you great credit. The lad is still quite 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 35 

young, but already highly regarded in his school, a good 
athlete, a true sportsman, who gives every promise of 200 
being all you could wish him to be. You, no doubt, 
think often of this boy's future, of his career at college, 
of the pride with which in old age you will look upon 
him as he stands in your place in the more active life in 
the community. You would do anything in the world 265 
and are doing all you can to build a foundation for that 
boy's career. If you live, you will complete your plans 
and no doubt his career will work out as you intend. 
You have a daughter, popular in her set, both for her 
personality and for her achievements. You are build- 270 
ing for her, too. In a way, perhaps you are planning 
even more for her material welfare than for the boy's, 
for you know that a self-reliant boy can go it alone if 
he has to. But provision for the daughter's future re- 
quires greater foresight. You want to provide for her 275 
for life, no matter what may happen. She will prob- 
ably marry and marry well. If you live to see her mar- 
ried and settled in life, she may have no further need 
for your help. But in the intimate relations which I 
necessarily enjoy with my clients I have found that 280 
fathers have a very tender spot in their hearts for their 
daughters. To them their daughters are always their 
little girls, even though married and themselves the 
mothers of other little girls. I find fathers arranging 
for guaranteed incomes not only to provide for the 285 
daughter unmarried, but for the daughter as a wife, 
with a certain independent income coming from father, 
all her own, to spend without feeling any possible hesi- 
tation as to how, as she might feel if her husband had 
given it to her. 290 



36 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

"And I haven't forgotten Mrs. Alderson, either. 
I've worked out a beautiful little triangular proposition 
that will enable you to complete your plans as to the 
future of your wife, your daughter, and your boy. 

"In case of your premature death, our company will 295 
credit your wife and children with $100,000 with the 
following service, assuming the present total interest 
rate of four and a half per cent to be earned and paid 
at such time. (Writes on a slip of paper as he talks.) 

Value of estate, #100,000. 

Total income, $4,500, if present interest basis continues. 

Payable to wife for life, #2,500 a year. 

Payable to daughter, $1,000 a year after age twenty-one, her 
share going to your wife until such time. 

Payable to your son, $1,000 a year, beginning with the first year 
in college, we'll say at age eighteen or nineteen or such other age 
as you will indicate, his share to go to your wife until such time. 
At your wife's death, her income to be divided between your son 
and your daughter, but at age thirty, or later, following the death 
of your wife, your son is to receive $50,000 in cash. Your daughter 
however, will receive her share as an income for life and at her 
death $50,000 will be paid in cash to her children, if any, or in such 
other way as you may designate. 

"That is your completion plan. It adds to your life 300 
program the one thing lacking — a definiteness and an 
absolute certainty; a minimum protection, the last 
intrenchment against want and hardship; the guaran- 
tee of a living for your wife, no matter what happens; 
the certainty of a degree of independence for your 305 
daughter, if she marries, and a minimum living if she 
doesn't; a guarantee of an education for the boy and 
a help while he is getting started in business, no matter 
what may happen. This $1,000 a year, if by any chance 






SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 37 

it should be all, would see him through college, and 310 
afterward, together with his initial earnings, would be 
enough to enable him to maintain a respectable position 
in his old circle. He couldn't collect old furniture or 
autographs of famous men on such an income, but you 
know what it might mean for him. It might be the 315 
difference between a good start and a poor one. But 
eventually there will be #50,000 to help him in his busi- 
ness. This might be the financial aid that would finally 
make his business a genuine success. To your daughter 
it might just be the margin between happy independ- 320 
ence and unhappy dependence. To your wife, as to the 
children, it would be the guarantee of the fulfillment 
of your lifetime purpose to make the future safe for 
them under any and all circumstances if anything 
should happen to your investments. Of course, we 325 
don't expect anything to happen. But what isn't 
guaranteed is uncertain and this proposition is a safe 
hedge against all uncertainty." 

Alderson: "Well, I'll tell you, Mr. Harrington, that 
is interesting. It does serve to complete one's plans by 330 
furnishing a certain guarantee, in case the bottom falls 
out. But Fve got things pretty well arranged. I 
already carry #25,000 of life insurance. I haven't 
wasted my money. I have saved and I have prospered 
in investments. I don't mind telling you the income of 335 
my estate at four and a half per cent interest would be 
several times the income you have been talking about. 
So, while your proposition is a good one, I don't believe 
I need it. I'll leave my estate in trust and it will be 
reasonably sure. The percentage of losses on estates 340 
left in trust is negligible." 



38 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Harrington: "You are absolutely right, Mr. Alder- 
son. All you say is true; though I should like to point 
out this fact: that if there should be only one estate 
failure in twenty years and that failure should happen 345 
to be in the estate you had left to your family, the low 
percentage of failures wouldn't help your wife and your 
daughter and your boy. That loss would have to fall 
on some individuals. It might just as well fall on your 
heirs as on any others. The chances are perhaps nearly 350 
even as between the beneficiaries of various estates. 
Now you want something that is certain; that elimi- 
nates uncertainty. You want a minimum provision on 
which there isn't even a small chance of loss. In my 
proposition the risk is eliminated by the mingling of 355 
the insurance estate money with the general corporate 
funds of our company. Another point: it is always the 
unexpected that happens. You and I can sit here and 
figure out all the things that might happen and set 
them down and twenty years from now none of them 360 
has happened. But something else has happened which 
we didn't figure on. That's just what I want to insure 
you against. You can see, can't you, that what I want 
to sell you isn't so much life insurance as it is a surety 
bond for the absolute completion of your life plans for 365 
your wife, your daughter, and your boy without any 
possibility of failure? Isn't that a big thing for any 
man to accomplish?" 

Alderson: "Yes, it is." 

Harrington: "And isn't this a wonderful way in 3-0 
which to accomplish such a big thing? The principal 
guaranteed, a minimum interest income guaranteed, 
absolute security which can be had in no other way. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 3 9 

And instead of putting up the estate on which your 
beneficiary will pay taxes, you pay taxes now and the 375 
company puts up the estate. One hundred thousand 
dollars in cash, held practically in trust, and adminis- 
tered as you may direct. What a fine thing to know — 
not merely to believe or hope — but to know that at least 
a living is assured beyond any doubt to your wife and 380 
your daughter and the boy. You have already built 
up a big estate which, if all goes well, will provide for 
them handsomely. It takes only the safety of the in- 
surance trust fund to guarantee the completion of your 
plans for the future of your loved ones, a living for your 385 
wife, lifetime independence for your daughter, an edu- 
cation and good start in life for the boy." 

(Pause — Neither speaks for some time. Harrington 
controls his impulse to speak as the pause seems to grow 
unbearably long. Finally Alderson speaks.) 390 

Alderson : " How much will this proposition cost me ?" 

Harrington: "Just what is your age, Mr. Alderson?" 

Alderson: " Fifty-one." 

Harrington: " Strictly speaking, Mr. Alderson, I 
should be wrong if I said it would cost you so much. 395 
You know enough about life insurance to know that a 
sinking fund or a savings account is really built up out 
of the premiums deposited, and that many men who 
need a good, safe, and regular savings plan take out 
life insurance for this purpose only. Your premium 400 
on this proposition (ordinary life basis) will be about 
four and three-quarters per cent at the beginning, but 
will be rapidly reduced to three and a half per cent and 
less if we are able to continue the scale of dividends we 
are now paying." 403 



4 o THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Alderson: "Four thousand seven hundred and fifty 
dollars." 

Harrington: "Approximately. But, as I said, if our 
present dividend scale continues, your rate will grad- 
ually decrease from about four and three-quarters per 410 
cent to a much lower rate. And, as you know, you 
aren't spending money. You are investing in the least 
uncertain security you have ever considered, and when- 
ever you die this will probably prove to be the most 
profitable investment you have ever made for your 415 
family. But even if you were spending the money, 
you know you would not count the cost, if you got the 
satisfaction you desired. 

"What greater satisfaction could you have than the 
knowledge that you had added to your estate this re- 420 
serve income which no disaster to your present estate 
could affect in any way, which would guarantee the ful- 
fillment of your plans for your wife, your daughter, and 
your son?" 

(Lays out the application blank.) "You are fifty-one 425 
years old. What is the date of birth ?" 

(Alderson answers Harrington's questions. The ap- 
plication is filled out and Alderson signs his name with- 
out a word when Harrington passes him the fountain 
pen.) 430 

Harrington: "Do you want to pay this by check, 
Mr. Alderson?" 

Alderson: "Now?" 

Harrington: "Yes. That is the only way in which 
I can bind the insurance." 4; 

Alderson: "I never paid for any insurance in ad- 
vance before." 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 41 

Harrington: "Then the other agents dropped one 
link in the chain of your protection. They didn't make 
it immediate. You always bind your fire insurance, 440 
don't you?" 

Alderson: "Yes, but I don't have to pay cash in 
advance." 

Harrington: "No, of course not, but the fire insur- 
ance company can cancel if it sees fit, can it not? Fire 445 
and life insurance are different. If we are going to bind 
for immediate as well as permanent protection, we must 
have the check in advance." (Explains conditions of 
binding and takes out his rate book.) "The exact 
amount is #4,746." 450 

Alderson calls a clerk, has a check written payable to 
the Hearthstone Life Insurance Company, and hands 
it to Harrington, who detaches a conditional advance- 
premium binding receipt from the application, signs it, 
and gives it to Alderson. ' 455 

ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON III 

Read over the sales interview between Harrington 
and Alderson. Write out an analysis of the strategy em- 
ployed by Harrington in selling Alderson. Use the 
analysis given in Lesson I as a model. 



LESSON III. THE STRATEGY OF SELLING AS 

EMPLOYED BY HARRINGTON IN SELLING 

ALDERSON 

Since the strategy of selling covers the preparation 
for selling — the investigating, figuring, and planning 
carried on prior to interviewing the prospect — a pre- 
liminary call for the purpose of getting acquainted 
and sizing the prospect up would belong under the 
heading of strategy. But the maneuvering character- 
istic of the interview, when the salesman has called 
to sell the prospect, belongs under the heading of tactics 
rather than Strategy. 

THE STRATEGY OF SELLING ALDERSON 

1. Prospect. To whom am I selling? Answered by 
"Picture" of John B. Alderson (page 25). Here is pre- 
sented as full a description of the personality and in- 
terests of Mr. Alderson as could be determined by the 
salesman. 

2. Proposition. Exactly what am I selling? Out- 
lined in the "Plan" to submit to Alderson (page 26). 

3. Convictions. What convictions must the pros- 
pect have before he will buy? Harrington decided to 
build his whole argument in terms of Alderson's known 
interest in a trust company. The three convictions he 
considered Alderson had to have before he would buy 
were: 




SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 43 

a. This insurance proposition is superior to that 
of my trust company. 

(1) It includes corporate trusteeship. 

(2) It guarantees principal and interest. 

(3) It does not require deposit of the prin- 
cipal. 

(4) It is absolutely safe, whereas there is a 
chance of failure with a trust company. 

b. This insurance proposition will complete my 
plans for my family. 

(1) Income for wife assured. 

(2) Degree of independence for daughter 
provided. 

(3) Son's education assured and $50,000 
eventually to come to him. 

(4) Cost reasonable. 

c. There is a chance that my family might lose 
all my estate and be destitute except for this 
insurance. 

(1) I might have a business reverse. 

(2) My trust company might mishandle 
my estate. 

(3) Income based on insurance safe. 

4. Impulses. What impulses must the prospect have 
before he will buy? 

a. Love for his son. 

b. Love for his wife. 

c. Love for his daughter. 

d. Aroused fighting instinct — determination to 
complete his plans — to take care of his wife, 
son, and daughter. 



44 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

5. Appeals. What ideas and incitements must I 
present so that the prospect will have the necessary 
convictions and impulses and buy? There is no need 
to discuss the affairs of a trust company in order to 
make them clear to Alderson, but they must be dis- 
cussed sufficiently so that they are fresh in Alderson's 
mind and also in order that through a discussion of 
them Alderson can be interested in the insurance propo- 
sition. The advantages of the insurance proposition 
over a trust company's plan must be made absolutely 
clear. In fact, this is the crux of the whole problem of 
convincing Alderson. 1 

After Alderson has been convinced that the insurance 
proposition is superior to that of a trusteed estate plan, 
the features of the proposition should be presented. 
He will not buy, however, even when convinced of all 
this. He must then be made to realize that this is the 
only plan which will absolutely guarantee the plans for 
his family being accomplished. 

Alderson will be sold, if at all, in terms of his love for 
his son, daughter, and wife, and the chance that they 
may lose what he has planned to leave them because of 
failure of his trust company to take care of his estate. 

Because of Alderson's known interest in the Presi- 
dents of the United States, Harrington carried with him 
testimonials signed by Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson, 

1 It is a fair question whether a better sales interview would not have de- 
veloped if Harrington had started off with the statement: "I have a proposi- 
tion which must interest you, for it is markedly superior to that a trust 
company can offer. It guarantees both principal and interest, and a trust 
company can do neither." This would have focused Alderson's attention 
on this point and would have forced him to consider the proposition at the 
start, and would probably have prevented Alderson sizing up Harrington 
as a man who did not understand trust companies. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 45 

but used only the former, because Roosevelt's picture 
alone appeared on the wall. The opening remarks — "a 
completion plan," "anything you can't finish yourself," 
"life insurance — plus," "plus corporate administra- 
tion," etc., were carefully planned out so as to maintain 
interest and at the same time lead Alderson to his main 
argument. The coin stunt (1 12-129) was thought out 
to use with just such men as Alderson, who are very apt 
to decide they don't want insurance before they have 
looked into the proposition. 

The use of the boy's picture on Alderson's desk was 
not planned out, of course, but it was seized upon by 
Harrington in order to make his remarks still more 
pointed. 

ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON IV 1 

Study the Harrington-Alderson sales interview in the 
light of Harrington's tactics. Use the analysis given in 
Lesson I as a model. Write out your analysis of the 
tactics employed by Harrington in selling Alderson. 

1 It is comparatively easy to acquire ideas about a subject. It is an en- 
tirely different matter to use such acquired ideas in an effective manner. 
These assignments are designed to aid you in "putting over" what you 
learn here. If you desire only knowledge, just read through the book. 
But if you desire added confidence in yourself, more initiative, and greater 
facility in planning and executing a sale, then write out these assignments 
as you come to them. Do not read ahead until you have finished the assign- 
ment and are sure you have done your best. Then compare it with the 
answer in the following lesson. Then you can see how far you were right and 
just wherein your mistakes lay. 



LESSON IV. THE TACTICS OF SELLING AS 

EMPLOYED BY HARRINGTON IN SELLING 

ALDERSON 

The strategy worked out by Harrington to sell life 
insurance to Alderson was outlined in Lesson III. In 
this lesson we are interested in seeing just how Harring- 
ton put his plan into operation. In other words, how 
did he present what he had carefully prepared. As given 
in Lesson I, the presentation, or tactics, involves five 
phases. These are discussed in their order. 

Do not get the very false notion, so prevalent to-day, 
that the prospect passes abruptly from one phase of the 
selling to another. Usually a prospect is gradually 
diverted from his own business to the new proposition; 
while this is taking place the proposition is being pre- 
sented; and during the presentation of the proposition 
he is being led to the point where he agrees to buy. 
Note, then, particularly just how the several phases of 
the tactics overlap. 

THE TACTICS OF SELLING ALDERSON 

I. Securing an Interview. 

a. Harrington enters store; walks to the rear; 
explains to a clerk that he wishes to see Mr. 
Alderson, and passes on to the office (1-5). 

b. Waits inside the office door, but at some dis- 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 47 

tanqe from desk, until Mr. Alderson is free 
(9-10). 

c. Carefully surveys the contents of the office 
(9-20). 

d. Carefully examines comb-back Windsor chair 
(21-23). 

e. Replies to Alderson's salutation (27-28). 

f. Speaks of Windsor chair (30-34). 
Harrington can now be said to have secured his inter- 
view, for he is talking freely with Alderson. But just 
when this condition was brought about it is difficult to 
state. 

2. Diverting Interest. 

a. Entry into Alderson's office (4-20). 

b. Windsor chair. 

(1) Examines chair (22-23). 

(2) Speaks of chair to Alderson, following 
salutation (30-54). 

c. May I sit down a minute? (Could hardly be 
refused) (65). 

d. My proposition is similar to that of a trus- 
teed estate plan plus certain features which 
a trust company cannot give. (This item is 
not presented in a logical manner at the start 
because the primary necessity is to divert 
Alderson from his work to the proposition. 
It is so presented as to prevent Alderson from 
evading the proposition.) 

(1) "A completion plan," forcing a reply 
such as/* To complete what ? " (69-70). 

(2) "Life insurance — plus," forcing reply, 
"Plus what?" (76-77). 



4 8 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

(3) " Plus corporate administration," forc- 
ing some such reply as, "What do you 
mean?" (78-79). 

(4) Refreshes Alderson's mind as to fea- 
tures of corporate trusteeship (80-86). 
(Seemingly agrees with Alderson's 
statement that he doesn't want any 
insurance and returns to the main 
point) (90-93). ^ 

(5) Guaranteed principal and interest 
(94-105). 

(Objection, "don't see what you are 
driving at," "don't want any insur- 
ance," etc.) 

e. Produces the coin (11 2-1 28). (Alderson 
could not escape, for he has admitted he 
didn't understand what Harrington was talk- 
ing about and it is unsportsmanlike not to 
give an opponent a fair chance to present his 
side of the case.) 

f. Continuation of topic discussed under d (5). 

Guaranteed principal and interest re- 
considered. Alderson cannot see the 
possibility of such a proposition and 
discusses the subject of trust compa- 
nies at length to show Harrington that 
he doesn't know what he is talking 
about (143-154). Harrington again 
raises the point, thereby driving home 
to Alderson that Harrington has some 
scheme "up his sleeve" which he still 
holds to after a thorough consideration 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 49 

of the business of a trust company; 
hence, he must listen to it, as he cannot 
afford to be ignorant of any detail 
concerned with trust companies (161- 
199). Alderson in consequence con- 
centrates on Harrington's remarks 
and so has become completely diverted 
from his business to the new proposi- 
tion. 
3. Reorganizing the Strategy. This phase of the 
tactics, of course, may take place simultaneously with 
any of the other features of the presentation. In this 
sales interview there was no reorganization of the strat- 
egy. The original plan was finally carried out — i.e. 9 
Alderson was sold through his interest in a trust com- 
pany and because he became convinced that the insur- 
ance proposition was superior to the plan his trust 
company could offer him. 

The apparent changes in Harrington's program, such 
as reference to the Windsor chair and to Roosevelt and 
the use of the coin, were not changes in strategy, but 
merely features of the tactics of selling. 

4 a. Presenting the Proposition — The Argument, 
a. The proposition is similar to that of a trus- 
teed estate plan plus certain features which 
a trust company cannot give. 

(1) Completes your plans for your family 

(72-74). 

(2) Corporate administration (78-86). 
(Objection, "don't want insurance," 
disposed of.) 



5 o THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

(3) Guaranteed principal and interest (94- 
105). 

(Objection, "don't see what you are 
driving at and don't want any," dis- 
posed of) (m-128). Continued (136). 
(Objection, "it can't be done," dis- 
posed of) (143-199). 
(Objection, "four and a half per cent 
interest is not large," disposed of) (201). 

(4) With the trust company plan you put 
up the estate and your heirs pay taxes 
on it; with my proposition you pay 
the taxes (premiums) and the com- 
pany puts up the principal (219-225). 
(Disposes entirely of Alderson's ob- 
jections (87-89) that he didn't want 
any insurance) (218-230). 

b. The Proposition in detail. 

(1) Provides income for wife. 

(2) Provides a degree of independence for 
daughter. 

(3) Assures son's education and eventually 
£50,000. 

(Objection, "Don't need it. My es- 
tate will be left in trust — very slight 
chance of loss there,' ' disposed of) (3 3 8- 

3 6s). 

c. My proposition is absolutely safe, while a 
trust company might mishandle your par- 
ticular account (342-368). 

d. Summarizes argument and appeal to feelings 
(370-387). 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 51 

e. Cost of proposition. 

(1) Sinking fund (394-400). 

(2) Actual cost (400-418). 

4 b. Presenting the Proposition — Appeal to Instincts 
and Emotions. 

a. Appeal to instinct to follow a leader — Roose- 
velt a leader in eyes of Alderson (235-239). 

b. Appeal to love for his son (242-255). 
Hastens to correct any false notion Alderson 
may jump at as to his motives in referring to 
his family. Remember, Alderson is "quick 
in his decisions"; see "Picture" of him. 

c. Appeal to love for his wife (256-258). 
(Men are much quicker to resent reference 
to their relation with their wives, due to 
inherent jealousy, than to their children. 
Hence, the "touch-and-go" reference at this 
point.) 

d. Appeal to love for his son (continued) (258- 
268). 

e. Appeal to love for his daughter (269-290). 
Note particularly such expressions as, "fath- 
ers have a very tender spot in their hearts for 
their daughters," "coming from father, all 
her own, to spend without any possible hesi- 
tation as to how." (Also 305-307 and 319- 

t 321.) 

f. Love for his wife (continued) (291-294, 303- 

3<>4). 

g. Love for his son (continued) (378-387). 
h. Love for his wife (continued) (378-387). 

5 Not only for his wife directly, but also in- 



52 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

directly through the idea that her children 
will be taken care of. 
I. Arousal of fighting instinct — determination 
to complete his plans — to take care of his 
wife, son, and daughter. Always intensified 
by implying that it is difficult — that what 
must be done will require sacrifice, that it is 
more than others do. Note the following: 
"might be the financial aid that would make 
your son's business a genuine success," "guar- 
antee of the fulfillment of your lifetime pur- 
pose to make the future safe for them under 
any and all circumstances, if anything should 
happen to your investments," "is a safe 
hedge against all uncertainty," "absolute 
completion of your life plans for your wife, 
your daughter, and your boy without any 
possibility of failure," "not merely to believe 
or hope, but to know that at least a living is 
assured beyond any doubt to your wife and 
your daughter and the boy." 
5. Closing the Sale. 

(Bad handicap to overcome due to Alderson's 
emphatic statements that he did not need any 
insurance, didn't want any, was not going to 
buy any) (87-89). 
a. Minor steps. 

(1) Four and a half per cent is satisfac- 
tory (200-211). 

(2) Agreement to the fact that when a 
trust is established, the principal 
must be provided in cash (211-217). 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 53 

b. "Really, Mr. Alderson, is there anything 
else in the world like it?" The question 
secures a halfway favorable reply, "No, I 
guess there isn't. It really is a remarkable 
proposition, after all." And it also secures 
a frank denial of most of his former empha- 
sis that he is not interested, when he adds, 
"Oh, I haven't any objections to life in- 
surance; I really think it is a fine thing, 
but I have all I need, together with my 
other estate" (225-231). 

Harrington immediately emphasizes the 
admission by saying, "I'm glad to have 
you say that you believe in life insurance, 
Mr. Alderson. I really felt sure you did. 
In fact, practically everybody does these 
days. Roosevelt," etc. (232-239). 

c. " Isn't that a big thing for any man to ac- 
complish?" (367-369). 

d. "Isn't this a wonderful way in which to 
accomplish such a big thing?" Summa- 
rizes argument and appeal to feelings. 
Waits for Alderson to reply. (Alderson 
must accept if he loves his wife and chil- 
dren — his objections have all been an- 
swered) (370-387). 

His reply, "How much will this proposi- 
tion cost me?" indicates he is sold. 

e. After cost is explained, doctor is mentioned, 
and Harrington promises that policy can 
be delivered in a few days. Application is 
filled out and Alderson signs. 

f. Check secured (431-451). 



54 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

SUMMARY OF SECTION A 

In Section A two sales interviews have been consid- 
ered and carefully analyzed. In this way the five steps 
in the strategy of selling and the five steps in the tactics 
have been illustrated. 

The purpose of this section is to give the reader a 
general idea of the problems to be considered in the 
text. The purpose is not to solve these problems. The 
remainder of the book is devoted to that. 

Before attacking the strategy and tactics of selling, 
it is necessary to consider certain psychological princi- 
ples that underlie all selling. Do not be alarmed. 
These principles are more or less familiar to you 
already, although you may not be aware of them 
by name. And they will be presented in a nontech- 
nical way. 

Section B (Lessons V to XVIII) will develop those 
fundamental principles which underlie all selling. Fol- 
lowing that we shall return in Section C to the five steps 
of the strategy of selling and go right on where we have 
left off in this lesson. 

ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON V 

Carefully compare the tactics you prepared in Les- 
son III with those given above. Study out in just what 
respects your own tactics of selling are faulty as con- 
trasted with those of Bagley and Harrington. 



SECTION B. GENERAL PRINCIPLES 
UNDERLYING SELLING 

We have seen Barnes buy insurance because he 
wanted to send his boy to college, and we have 
seen Alderson buy because he was convinced that a 
trusteed estate was not absolutely safe protection 
for his family, and that insurance was. What are 
the other motives which lead men to take out 
insurance? 

We cannot have failed to notice that neither of 
the salesmen used any device to close the sale. 
Judging from the conversation which occurred dur- 
ing the two sales interviews, it was apparently the 
easiest thing in the world to secure the coveted 
signatures. But closer scrutiny reveals that there 
was more to closing than appears at first sight. 
What makes a man decide to buy? 

In order to answer such questions satisfactorily 
it is necessary to dig down to the roots of the mat- 
ter. We must first of all obtain some idea as to 
what constitutes human behavior in general, for 
buying is only one small fraction of the whole. 
Then we shall be ready to understand the funda- 
mental motives which can be appealed to in selling. 



56 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

In our study of all this we shall see that all be- 
havior can be analyzed into situations and re- 
sponses (Lessons V to VII) ; that behavior may be 
native (instinctive) or acquired (Lessons VIII to 
XVI) ; that instinctive behavior is the basis of in- 
terest, desire, and action (Lessons VIII to XIV) ; 
that there is a way to utilize man's instinctive 
behavior in arousing interest in and desire for in- 
surance (Lessons VIII to XVIII) ; that acquired 
interests can also be used in much the same way 
(Lessons XV and XVI) ; and finally that there are 
certain fundamental motives which are responsible 
for all action, including buying, and that these 
must be utilized in selling insurance (Lessons XVII 
and XVIII). 

Lesson V opens up this whole discussion — and 
starts us on a method of study quite different from 
that of the foregoing pages. In Section A we had 
a bird's-eye view of the entire course in the analyses 
of two sales interviews. Now we narrow our field 
of vision, come down from the top of the mountain 
to the very base, and commence a real exploration 
of the subject of selling. 



LESSON V. ANALYSIS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR 
INTO ITS COMPONENTS 

In analyzing the two sales interviews in Lessons I 
and II we should not overlook one point really so obvi- 
ous that we are apt to disregard it. The prospect con- 
stantly responded to what the salesman said, and the 
salesman, in turn, responded to what the prospect 
said. 

A sales interview is not an oration on the part of the 
salesman. It is an interplay of forces — the salesman 
influencing the prospect and the prospect influencing 
the salesman. 

Consider lines 69 to 79 of the sales interview between 
Harrington and Alderson in Lesson II. After discussing 
the comb-back chair for a time, Harrington asks if he 
may sit down a minute, thus signaling his intention of 
stating his business. After they are both seated, he 
opens up the new topic by saying, "I want to talk to 
you about a competition plan." 

Alderson is now confronted with the three carefully 
chosen words, "a completion plan," plus, as a back- 
ground, all that had already transpired. What can 
he do? 

Clearly only one of two things: either keep silent or 
make some such remark as he does. And even if he 
should keep silent, he would be forced to think what he 
otherwise would express in words. The words actually 



58 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

used in speaking or thinking are relatively immaterial, 
but the thought back of those words must follow di- 
rectly from Harrington's remark. Alderson has, then, 
made a "response" to the "situation" confronting him 
which was forced upon him — forced because of what 
Harrington has said and because of the mental make-up 
of Alderson. 

In this way the whole sales interview can be analyzed 
and each part shown to be dependent on what has gone 
before. In a diagrammatic way we may outline the re- 
lationship, expressing it in terms of what the situations 
are that confront Alderson and what he says in re- 
sponse. Starting at line 69 we have: 

Situations Confronting Prospect Responses of Prospect 

(1) Items covered in sales 
interview up to line 69. 

(2) "A completion plan." a. "To complete what?" 

(3) "Anything you can't 
finish yourself — when 
all your plans must 
come to an end or be 
carried on by some 

one else." b. "Ah, life insurance!" 

(4) "Life insurance — 

plus." c. "Plus what?" 

(5) "Plus corporate ad- 
ministration," etc. d. "What do you mean?" 

HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND ITS THREE COMPONENTS 

A doorbell system consists of a push button, wiring, 
batteries, and doorbell. When the push button is 




SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 59 

pushed, electrical current flows over the wires and the 
bell rings. When we jerk our hand off a hot stove we 
use a similar mechanism; we have sense organs in the 
skin of the hand, nerves, stored energy, and muscles. 
When the sense organs are aroused by heat, nervous 
current flows over the nerves from the skin to a nerve 
center and from there to certain muscles, and these 
muscles contract and pull the hand off* the stove. Or 
again, the doorbell circuit is analogous to that function- 
ing when a child recites "forty-nine" after the teacher 
has said "seven times seven." Here the ear is aroused 
by the sound waves of "seven times seven," current 
flows into the brain and out again to muscles in the 
throat and mouth, these move, and the child says 
"forty-nine." 

To obtain an adequate notion of selling, of buying, 
of any action, in fact, it is first of all necessary to under- 
stand what is meant by: (1) situation, (2) bond, and 
(3) response — the components of behavior. 1 Let us illus- 
trate the three in terms of the doorbell system and then 
in terms of saying "forty-nine" in response to "seven 
times seven." 

Situation Bond Response 

I. Finger pushes 1. Pushbutton. 1. Ringing of bell, 
doorbell. 2. Wiring system. 

3. Batteries. 

4. Bell. 

Because of the existence of the "bond," when the situa- 
tion occurs (pushing button), the response takes place 

1 See footnote on page 83 for justification of the present distribution of 
elements under the three components. 



6o THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 



(bell rings). In the case of reciting " forty-nine " 
we have: 


Situation Bond 
I. Sound waves of I. Ear. I. 


Response 

Pronunci- 


"seven times 2. Nervous sys- 


ation of 


seven." tern. 


"forty-nine." 


3. Stored-up 




energy. 
4. Muscles in 




throat and 




mou*h. 





The above is simple enough, so that if this were all 
there were to behavior we could immediately proceed 
to the next point. But unfortunately for the success- 
ful understanding of the subject, human behavior is 
more complicated than the outline above would sug- 
gest. And it will be necessary to spend some time here 
to make matters thoroughly clear. Accordingly, we 
shall concentrate on the two components, "situation" 
and "response," and omit from discussion the compo- 
nent "bond," until Lesson VII. 

The situation comprises all the details which influence 
an individual in any way. The response comprises all 
the details of the individual's behavior as a result of the 
situation. 

Consider an illustration. At line 1 10 of the interview 
Alderson rises as if to dismiss Harrington. The latter 
slips his hand into his pocket and draws out a coin 
concealed in his closed fist. Then he asks Alderson, 
"Can you tell me what I have in my hand?" Here are 
a number of details confronting Alderson — they com- 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 61 

pose a situation. In addition there are certain ideas 
and feelings within Alderson. They too constitute 
part of the entire situation confronting him. 

Now, what will Alderson do ? What response will he 
make to all these details outside of him and inside of 
him ? We can say that the response he makes will be in 
terms of all these details, depending upon their relative 
strength. In this case, he responds by saying, "Why 
— no, of course not." But if he had been very angry 
he would have made a different response. 

Return now to the diagrammatic outline of the situa- 
tions and their responses on page 58. Here is recorded 
only the spoken elements in these situations and re- 
sponses. Equally important elements of the sales in- 
terview are included in the tone of voice and manner 
of both the salesman and prospect. For example, if 
Harrington had grinned in a silly way as he said, "Life 
insurance — plus!" the response would undoubtedly 
have been much more to the "grin" than to the word 
"plus," so that Alderson might have very abruptly 
terminated the interview, instead of saying, "Plus 
what?" 

One of the basic points in this course is that all inter- 
views must be thought of as a series of situations 
presented by the salesman and responded to by the 
prospect. If the situations are properly selected and 
presented in the proper order, we have an effective 
sales interview. Otherwise not. 

"Situation" and "response" have been defined and 
illustrated from a sales interview, also in terms of the 
extremely simple example of saying "forty-nine." 



62 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Neither illustration affords good material for the study 
of the subject, one being too complex an interplay of 
forces to be used in making psychological principles 
clear, and the other being far too simple. For that 
reason we shall turn aside from sales interviews for 
a few lessons while these basic principles are de- 
veloped. In their place we shall consider one of the 
Penrod stories by Booth Tarkington. It furnishes in- 
teresting material to analyze. And because it is rela- 
tively simple behavior we will attain an understanding 
of the principles to be developed here much more 
quickly and easily than if we attempted to draw them 
out of insurance interviews. 

Turn now to the Appendix (page 465) and read the 
story of Penrod's troubles. 1 

ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON VI 

The primary interest for the next three lessons con- 
cerns "situations" and " responses.' ' Intimately re- 
lated to such analysis are questions of this sort : Is it 
possible to analyze a friend's behavior and from it know 
the causes of his acts ? Is it possible, on the other hand, 
to prophesy what he will do when certain things hap- 
pen ? If we knew all the details entering into his mind, 
would it be possible to foretell his action? How many 
details can we discover which affect conduct? What 

1 At first thought a Penrod story seems entirely out of place here. But 
the reader is presumably endeavoring to get a grasp of certain principles. 
The writer knows that this can be done more quickly, more easily, and 
more thoroughly by considering Penrod's behavior and then reverting to 
selling than by not making the digression. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 63 

part do reasoned details play in the total cause of ac- 
tion and what part do emotions and desires play? 

Bear such questions in mind as we proceed. Com- 
mence watching the people you meet and see if it is 
possible to explain their behavior? Can your own be 
explained ? 

The specific assignment. Consider particularly the 
passage starting, "Howbeit, Sam had never told his 
love" (page 473, line 300) and ending, "Stung to 
fury, he (Sam) charged upon the sheltering tree, in 
the Schofields' yard" (line 346). Analyze the action 
of Sam. The "situation" should comprise the sum 
total of all the details that confront Sam; the "re- 
sponse" should comprise, on the other hand, all the 
details of Sam's behavior, including thoughts or actions. 

In order to handle such complex material in the 
easiest manner it is best to break the story up into very 
short "scenes." The first four such scenes would be 
expressed diagrammatically as follows: 

Situations Confronting Sam Responses of Sam 

1. Sam in love with a. Stops and talks with 
Mabel. Mabel. 

2. Meets Mabel on the b. Leans against the 
street. picket fence. 

1, 2, continued. 

3. Mabel "keeps her c. Experiences "exquisite 
face turned away," moments"; "heart 
"maintains one foot beating in an unac- 
in continuous motion," customed manner"; 
"confines her remarks "suffering from embar- 
to * U-huh.' " rassment." 



64 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Situations Confronting Sam 



I, 2, 3, continued. 

4. Unusual feelings i n 
stomach, heart, lungs. 

5. Continues talking. 

i> 2, 3, 4, 5, continued. 

6. Penrod's, "Sam-my 
and May-bul! Oh, 
oh!" 



Responses of Sam 

Continues talking al- 
though his "usual 
habits of talking are in- 
terfered with, because 
of unusual feelings. " 

Further arousal of sex 
instinct. 



f. Starts violently, 
blushes. 
Looks for Penrod. 



g 



Finish the analysis of this passage {i.e., to the end of 
line 346). Be sure to write out your analysis, since by 
so doing you are forced to think definitely and clearly. 



LESSON VI. ANALYSIS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR 
INTO ITS COMPONENTS (Continued) 

An experienced salesman by the name of Brown was 
sent on the road to sell a small office device. Although 
carefully drilled on how to sell it, he turned out to be 
almost a flat failure. This was all the more surprising 
as he had always been looked upon as a good business 
getter. Finally, his sales manager, Mr. Peters, accom- 
panied him to the office of a prospect. The interview 
was a failure and even the sales manager could not close 
after Brown had tried in vain. The sales manager 
handled the next interview and was successful. Then 
the salesman tried a third prospect and failed. As far 
as both could see they followed the same tactics. Fi- 
nally, near the close of the day, Mr. Peters noticed that 
when he finished the demonstration he would have the 
model of the office device in his own hand and would 
then place it on the floor before commencing to close 
the sale, whereas Brown always handed it to the pros- 
pect. In consequence, when Peters asked for an order 
the prospect had nothing to attend to but Peters' sales 
talk, whereas when Brown attempted to close, he could 
not because the prospect was too interested in fooling 
with the model. The elimination of this one detail 
(handling the model) in the situation confronting the 
prospect at the moment of closing made it possible 
thereafter for Brown to sell to a good proportion of his 
prospects. 



66 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

This incident illustrates again the first conception to 
be developed in this section — i.e., a prospect responds 
to the situations presented by the salesman. If the 
situations are faulty, the response will not be to sign 
the application blank; if the situations are, on the other 
hand, skillfully developed, the proper response will be 
forthcoming. 

This idea of life is really very simple and common- 
sense. But because few have viewed the life of others 
or that of themselves in this way, it takes time for most 
people to understand the conception and to absorb it 
so that it becomes an integral part of their thinking life. 

Accordingly, this lesson will review what was devel- 
oped in Lesson V, adding only a few minor ideas to the 
main theme. 

Human behavior, as has been stated, is composed of 
three components: situation, bond, and response. Dis- 
cussion of the component "bond" is reserved to the 
next lesson. In regard to the other two components, 
we have seen that: (i) all the details which influence 
an individual in any way comprise the situation; and 
(2) all the details making up his behavior as the result 
of a situation comprise the response. 

For further illustration of these statements turn again 
to the story of Penrod, which affords material so much 
easier to analyze than a bona-fide sales interview. 

ANALYSIS OF A PASSAGE FROM "WEDNESDAY MADNESS" 

INTO THE TWO COMPONENTS — SITUATION AND 

RESPONSE 

The first section of the passage assigned for study at 
the end of Lesson V is as follows : 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 67 

Howbeit, Sam had never told his love; he was, in fact, sensitive 
about it. This meeting with the lady was by chance, and although 
it afforded exquisite moments, his heart was beating in an unac- 
customed manner, and he was suffering from embarrassment, being 
at a loss, also, for subjects of conversation. It is, indeed, no easy 
matter to chat easily with a person, however lovely and beloved, 
who keeps her face turned the other way, maintains one foot in rapid 
and continuous motion through an arc seemingly perilous to her 
equilibrium, and confines her responses, both affirmative and nega- 
tive, to "U-huh." 

Altogether, Sam was sufficiently nervous without any help 
from Penrod, and it was with pure horror that he heard his own 
name and Mabel's shrieked upon the ambient air with viperish 
insinuation. 

"Sam-my and May-bul! Oh, oh!" 

Sam started violently. Mabel ceased to swing her foot, and 
both, encarnadined, looked up and down and everywhere for the 
invisible but well-known owner of that voice. It came again, in 
taunting mockery. 

This section of the passage has already been analyzed 
(see close of Lesson V) . The next section is : 

"Sammy's mad, and I am glad, 
And I know what will please him; 
A bottle o' wine to make him shine, 
And Mabel Rorebeck to squeeze him!' , 

"Fresh ole thing!" said Miss Rorebeck, becoming articulate. 
And, unreasonably including Sam in her indignation, she tossed 
her head at him with an unmistakable effect of scorn. She began 
to walk away. 

"Well, Mabel," said Sam plaintively, following, "it ain't my 
fault. / didn't do anything. It's Penrod." 

The writer would analyze this section into the two 
components of behavior — i.e.> situation and response, 
as follows: 



68 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Situation Confronting Sam Response of Sam 

I, 2, 4, 6, continued. 

7. Presence of Mabel, ex- 
cited and blushing. 

8. Presence of Penrod. 

9. Penrod' s doggerel : 

"Sammy's mad, and I h. Perplexed at Mabel's 

am glad . . ." action (cf. "plaintive- 

10. Mabel's reaction to ly.") 

(9): exclaims, "Fresh i. Says to Mabel, "Well, 

ole thing!" Shows her Mabel, it ain't my fault, 

indignation at S a m / didn't do anything, 

and begins to walk It's Penrod." 

away. j. Follows Mabel. 

The third section of the passage and its analysis are: 

"I don't care — " she began pettishly, when the viperish voice 
was again lifted. 

"Oh, oh, oh! 
Who's your beau? 
Guess / know: 

Mabel and Sammy, oh, oh, oh! 
/ caught you!" 



Then Mabel did one of those things which eternally perplex the 
slower sex. She deliberately made a face, not at the tree behind 
which Penrod was lurking, but at the innocent and heart-wrung 
Sam. "You needn't come limpin' after me, Sam Williams," she 
said, though Sam was approaching upon two perfectly sound legs. 
And then she ran away at the top of her speed. 

Situation Response 

i, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, con- 
tinued. 
11. Mabel's reaction to 



. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 



69 



Situation 
Sam's response (i), "I 
don't care — " in a pet- 
ulant manner. 

12. Penrod's second verse, 
"Oh, oh, oh!.. ." 

13. Mabel's reaction to 
Penrod's verse (12); 
she deliberately makes 
a face at Sam, and re- 
marks, "You needn't 
come limpin' after me, 
Sam Williams." 

14. Mabel runs away at 
top speed. 



Response 



L Continues to follow 
Mabel. 

1. Arousal of anger and 
fighting instinct, due to 
direct attack and to in- 
terference with sex in- 
stinct. 



And the last section of the passage and its analysis 
are: 

" Run, nigger, run — " Penrod began inexcusably. But Sam cut 
the persecutions short at this point. Stung to fury, he charged 
upon the sheltering tree in the Schofields' yard. 

Situation Response 

1,2,4,6,7,8,9,10,11,12, 
13, 14, continued. 

15. Anger at Penrod. 

16. Penrod's, " Run, nig- m. Anger increased. 

ger, run." n. Charges upon Penrod 

17. Absence of Mabel. (fighting instinct fully 

aroused). 

In this analysis we have the details that influenced 
Sam in the left-hand column, and correspondingly we 



7 o THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

have the details that composed his behavior in the 
right-hand column. In other words, cause and effect 
are contrasted. 



SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF BEHAVIOR 

The human being responds to outside stimulations. 
Just how he responds depends upon two factors — the 
situation itself and the internal make-up of the indi- 
vidual. If we know what the situation is and what the 
internal organization of the individual is, we can proph- 
esy what he will do in response to any particular situa- 
tion. For example, we know that all educated people 
can add and spell; consequently, we can safely depend 
upon it that any educated Englishman or American will 
think "four," and then "cat," as he reads the next line: 

2+2= c-a-t 

In the same way we know, if a boy and girl are in- 
terested in each other, that when they meet they will 
show embarrassment, excitement, etc. If they don't 
show these evidences of emotion they are not interested 
in each other. And we all know that a boy gets angry 
when called names, or caught with a girl he likes, or in- 
terfered with when he is with that girl. Knowing these 
things, we can prophesy a fight when Penrod provokes 
Sam. 

There is absolutely nothing profound or complicated 
in this psychological analysis. We all know these facts 
and to a very considerable extent act upon them. For 
example, what happens when a circle of girls suspect 
one of their number of being engaged ? They suddenly 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 71 

confront her with situations that should make her blush 
or show embarrassment if she is engaged. And they 
determine whether she is guilty or not, not by what she 
says ordinarily, but from the tone of her voice and her 
manner. For words we can fairly easily control, but 
not the tone of voice or manner. 

The application of this point to selling insurance, 
which we are coming to in later lessons, is that, if we 
understand our prospect and understand the situations 
we present to him, we can prophesy pretty accurately 
just what will happen. Such knowledge operates 
toward taking the guess out of selling. 

But we must explore the subject of human behavior 
somewhat farther before applying it to selling. 

Situations are ordinarily complex. When you read 
"2+2 = " you are confronted with a very simple situa- 
tion. But when Sam replied to Mabel by saying, "Well, 
Mabel, it ain't my fault. I didn't do anything. It's 
Penrod," he was responding to a very complex situa- 
tion. It involved his love for Mabel, her presence, his 
unnatural feelings and emotions, the presence of Pen- 
rod, Penrod's remarks, Mabel's reactions to Penrod 
shown in her remarks to Sam and her walking away. 
But these were only a beginning. Such other factors 
were involved as, Sam's being born a boy, a certain 
number of years before, with definite hereditary tend- 
encies; his having grown up in a rough-and-ready boy 
society. Eliminate any one of these elements of the 
total situation confronting Sam and his response would 
be different. 

Can an item be both a response and a situation? 
The analysis of the passage from "Wednesday Mad- 



72 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

ness" has undoubtedly puzzled many, in that certain 
items were listed in one "scene" as responses and 
then in the next "scene" as situations. For example, 
one response on the part of Sam on meeting Mabel 
was "exquisite moments," "heart beating in an un- 
accustomed manner," "suffering from embarrass- 
ment." These phenomena resulted from meeting her. 
But they in turn immediately commenced to affect 
his further behavior. The wildly beating heart and 
irregular breathing interfered with his talking. Just 
so the angry man reveals his anger by the jerky man- 
ner of speech, even when he controls the use of his 
words. 

Behavior is a steady stream of events. In analyzing 
it we have to break it up into short scenes in order to 
discuss it. In doing so we do violence to some of the 
facts. But if we bear in mind that the scenes are arti- 
ficial units of behavior, that behavior is flowing along, 
and that details from without first make some impres- 
sion and then very often these responses in turn join 
with the next details from without as causes for the 
next impression, we shall not go far astray in our 
study. 

ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON VII 

Turn again to Tarkington's story of Penrod. Do 
you think it is possible so to understand Penrod's be- 
havior that one can say, "Yes, this is the cause of that 
performance. He did this because of that"? 

I. With the aim in mind of endeavoring to link 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 73 

"cause" and "effect " together in an individual's 
behavior, consider the passage beginning, "Penrod's 
gaze had relaxed, dropped to his button again — " (page 
469, line 162) and ending with the paragraph, "He had 
one idea; to read as rapidly as possible — " (line 192). 
Analyze the behavior of Penrod in diagrammatic 
form as was done in Lesson V. In listing the details 
making up the situation in your first scene, do not 
fail to take into account items that have occurred in 
the story prior to this point. 

2. Analyze in the same way the behavior of the 
teacher (not Penrod) in the passage commencing 
with, "'Bring me that letter,' she said" (line 228), 
and ending at line 238. 

3. As a further part of this assignment, answer the 
question in detail," Why was Penrod embittered against 
Margaret?" Note the paragraph commencing with, 
"And when he reached the temporary shelter — " 
(line 249). 

If you desire a real grasp of what is here presented 
— in other words, if you desire to make use of this con- 
ception in your thinking — you must do a certain amount 
of work. You cannot change your methods of thinking 
by reading about such conceptions. Therefore, write 
out your answers in detail to the three assignments 
before reading Lesson VII. 



LESSON VII. ANALYSIS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR 
INTO ITS COMPONENTS (Continued) 

Because the conception of behavior as composed 
of situations and responses is so fundamental to all 
that follows, further attention is given it here. Com- 
pare your own analysis of behavior as assigned in Lesson 
VI with the analyses given here and make sure you thor- 
oughly understand what situations and responses are. 

ANALYSIS OF A SECOND PASSAGE FROM " WEDNES- 
DAY madness" 

The passage considered here is found between 
lines 162 and 192 of the Penrod story. 

Situations Confronting Penrod Responses of Penrod 

1. Accumulation of un- 
pleasant inhibited reac- 
tions (had to go to 
school, had to prepare a 
letter, had to read the 
letter, etc., when he 
didn't want to). 

2. In English class, mem- 
bers of the class reading 
letters. 

3. Penrod has his lesson 
prepared. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 



75 



Situations Confronting Penrod 

4. Penrod, lost in day 
dreams, oblivious to 
what is going on in 
the class. 

5. Teacher calls, "Pen- 
rod." 

6. Due to no response 
from (5) the teacher 



Responses of Penrod 



Penrod aroused from 
day dream "languidly 
comes to life. ,, 



speaks again, "Penrod b. Replies to (6), 
Schofield." "Ma'am?" 



1, 2, 3, 6, continued. 

7. Hardly awake to what is 
going on (Response a). 

8. Teacher says, "You 
may read your letter." 

i> 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, continued. 

9. Teacher's reaction to 
(d) and past experience 
with Penrod, "Have 
you prepared one?" 
(with suspicion.) 

1 > 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, continued. 

10. Teacher's reaction to 
(f), "But you're going 
to find you forgot to 
bring it, aren't you?" 

1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, continued. 

11. Discovers letter. 



c. "Yes'm." 

d. "Paws clumsily among 
his books" for the let- 
ter. 



e. "Yes'm" (dreamily 
due to 7). 

f. Still looks for letter. 



g. Discovers letter in 
book. 



h. "I got it." 



76 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Situations Confronting Penrod Responses of Penrod 

I, 2, 7, 8, 1 1 ; to a slight ex- 
tent 9 and io. 

12. Teacher's reaction to 
Penrod's finding the 
letter, "Well, we'll 
listen to what you've 
found time to pre- 
pare," adding coldly, 
"for once." (Due also 
to Penrod's previous 
failures to prepare his 
lessons.) 

13. Classmates' reaction 
to (a to h) and to re- 
membrance of his un- 
usual conduct — frank 
pessimism; all watch- 
ing him. 



i. Rises due to habit, due 
to 8 and 12. 

j. Reads letter due to 2, 
8, and 12. 

k. Reads as fast as pos- 
sible with no thought 
of the meaning of the 
words, due to 1 and 7. 

1. Little affected by teach- 
er's unfavorable atti- 
tude or (13). 



ANALYSIS AS TO WHY PENROD WAS EMBITTERED 
AGAINST MARGARET 

It is instinctive (1) to feel cross when any individual 
or object blocks what we are about to do, or forces us 
to do anything we don't wish to do. For example: 



Penrod didn't wish to go Had to — unpleasant feel- 
to school. ings toward school and to- 
ward those who forced him 
to go. 
Penrod's exasperation at Had to stop — with added 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 



77 



having to go to school irritation toward Mar- 
worked itself out in his garet. 
monologue. 

Penrod didn't wish to Had to — unpleasant feel- 
write a letter. ings toward letter, school- 
teacher, and original 
owner of letter. 
Penrod didn't wish to read Had to — unpleasant feel- 
the letter. ings toward letter, teach- 
er, schoolmates. 

It is instinctive (2) to get angry when attacked. For 
example : 

Penrod was ridiculed by Couldn't attack them. 

schoolmates. Hence, added unpleasant- 

ness. 

Penrod was punished by Couldn't attack her. 

teacher. Hence added unpleasant- 

ness. 



He was thus possessed with unpleasant feelings and 
anger, and both more or less " bottled up" — i.e., loaded 
like a " bomb " (see page 472, line 269). Under such con- 
ditions the energy will be shot out in one or more chan- 
nels as soon as occasion arises, in this case toward Mar- 
garet: (1) because he expected to meet her and hence 
she came into his mind; (2) because she was connected 
(a) with his being forced to go to school and (b) with 
the letter; and (3) because she was ordinarily irritating 
to him. 



78 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

"situation," "bond," and "response" 

We are now ready to discuss all three of the com- 
ponents of behavior — i.e., situation, bond, and re- 
sponse, referred to in Lesson V. Up to the present, the 
component "bond" has been ignored. 

The behavior of any individual can be divided into 
combinations quite similar to the little "scenes" used 
in analyzing Penrod's behavior. Each "scene" con- 
sists of a situation affecting the individual and his re- 
sponse. All behavior, no matter how simple or com- 
plex, whether blinking the eye or solving an intricate 
problem in calculus, is a response to some situation. 

The situation may be composed of details outside 
the body or details within the body, or both combined 
together. Details outside the body affect us through 
one of our sense organs — i.e., the eye, the ear, the nose, 
the mouth, or the skin. (Objects which do not affect 
one of our sense organs never act as situations. We 
cannot see, hear, smell, taste, or feel ultraviolet rays, 
used in taking photographs, or magnetism or wireless 
messages. We can, however, respond to pieces of ap- 
paratus so constructed as to respond to such phe- 
nomena.) Details within the body affect sense organs 
of which the layman is unaware. This is no place to go 
into detail about them. Suffice it to say that we are 
made aware of a rapidly beating heart or a stomach 
ache or dizziness; also of the response we have just 
made and of the thoughts we have experienced on the 
same subject a week ago. 1 

1 See footnote on page 83 for justification of including "thoughts we have 
experienced" under "situation." 






SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 79 

The response is the sum total of the behavior brought 
about by a situation affecting an individual. It in- 
cludes movements produced by the large muscles of 
the body and of the small muscles within the body, 1 
and the total of consciousness involved therein. For 
example, when Sam met Mabel he responded by ceas- 
ing to walk (movements in the large leg and back 
muscles), by speaking to her (movements of small 
muscles in the throat and mouth), by looking at her 
(movements of the eyes, head, and neck), by changes 
in the movements of the heart muscle, by a great 
number of other muscular changes involving the 
activity of the lungs, stomach, capillary blood vessels, 
etc. In addition there were all the elements involved 
in Sam's consciousness of Mabel and the events taking 
place within him. Human beings are complicated 
mechanisms; and certain situations (as the girl one 
loves) can most awfully upset their workings. 

The bond. Suppose I am confronted with the situa- 
tion " 17x67." I reach for pencil and paper, write down 
the figures, make certain additional movements, and 
obtain the answer to the problem. All the movements 
make up the response. But how comes it that certain 
black marks on paper which aflfect the eye make my 
hands move? When I was four years old the black 
marks would have been passed by unnoticed (no re- 
sponse would have been made). Later on the only re- 
sponse might have been, "Mamma, what does 'seven- 



1 Included in the term "small muscles within the body" is the action of 
glands which play an important part in our total behavior, as, for example, 
the flow of saliva upon seeing a well cooked beefsteak or the functioning of 
the adrenals discussed in Lesson VIII. 



80 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

teen/ 'x/and 'sixty-seven' mean?" The explanation, of 
course, is that through training the nervous system has 
been developed to such a point that when "17x67" is 
seen I multiply them out. In order to avoid a great 
many technicalities, we shall use the term "bond" to 
cover the total functioning of the nervous system. In 
other words, in the case of being confronted with the 
situation, "17x67," we shall use the word "bond" to 
cover the activity of the nervous system whereby cer- 
tain stimulations upon the retina of the eye bring about 
certain muscular activities. 

The nervous system is affected by use or disuse. A 
telephone wire is not affected by the number of 
calls passing over it. To improve telephone service 
we frequently have to change the size of wire or 
its composition, or readjust connections at the termi- 
nals. Service over the nervous system, on the other 
hand, is adjusted according to use. The more fre- 
quently a situation is connected with a response, the 
less becomes the resistance over the nervous pathway 
and the quicker the response follows the situation. 
Repetitions of an act, as typewriting, bring skill due 
to the lowering of resistance over the used nerve 
pathways. 

SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTION OF "BEHAVIOR" 

All behavior comprises a situation connected through 
special adaptation of the nervous system (bond) to cer- 
tain muscles, so that when the situation is presented 
the muscles react (response). 

Human behavior is similar to an interoffice telephone 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 81 

system. Pushing button i gets Smith on the phone; 
button 2, Jones on the phone. Smith and Jones come 
to the phone because of two things: (i) the proper but- 
ton was pushed ; and (2) the telephone system is so con- 
stituted that button 1 leads to the phone in Smith's 
room, etc. So with human beings: when button 1 is 
pushed (irritation in the throat) a certain response is 
made (coughing); when button 2 is pressed (sight of an 
infuriated bull coming toward you when you are twenty 
feet from the fence) a certain response is made (running 
for the fence, climbing over it, keeping an eye on the 
approaching bull, tremendous increase in the activity 
of heart, lungs, etc.). You cough or run from the bull 
because: (a) the proper situations are presented; and 
(b) you are so constituted that stimulation of the throat 
causes coughing, not running from the bull, and sight 
of the bull causes you to run, not to think of enjoying 
the scenery. 

But human behavior differs from an interoffice tele- 
phone system in that each time a connection is made 
the service is improved, for the resistance of the "bond " 
(the nervous system) is lowered with each trial. More- 
over, the human being is conscious of what connections 
are being made in a way that is impossible in the case 
of an automatic phone system. 

It is just this conception that is meant when one 
speaks of salesmanship as a "mental process." The 
salesman cannot use force upon a prospect. He cannot 
shout exhortations at him or overwhelm him with argu- 
ments and make the prospect buy. The only way in 
which a sale can be made is by presenting those situa- 
tions to the prospect which lead him because of 



82 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

his own mental make-up to want the service and 
to buy. 

What the proper situations are depends on the par- 
ticular prospect. If he speaks only Italian, no sales 
talk in English will move him. If he hates his wife, no 
appeal to protection of his wife will lead him to buy 
life insurance. And in the same way, if your prospect 
spent most of the previous night looking after a sick 
child, couldn't start his auto and had to come to the 
office in a street car, getting there late, found the office 
boy hadn't shown up, and was later called down by the 
boss for an oversight, you may receive a most violent 
explosion when you intrude on his work, just as Mar- 
garet was the recipient of Penrod's bottled-up energy. 
But an understanding of human nature would make 
you realize that the mere entrance of yourself into the 
prospect's office could not possibly be the main ele- 
ment of the whole situation to which the prospect was 
reacting. If you should outlast his outburst, and during 
that time do nothing to warrant his attacking you, he 
would realize he had treated you unjustly, and be par- 
ticularly courteous. One of the writer's most satisfac- 
tory interviews when engaged in "selling" personnel 
work to army authorities followed a fifteen-minute 
calling down for which he was not in the least respon- 
sible except that he happened to meet the colonel at 
that particular moment. 

SUMMARY 

What has been presented concerning situation, bond, 
and response can be summarized as follows : 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 



83 



Situation 
External causes 
which stimulate 
one's sense organs. 
Internal condi- 
tions which 
stimulate internal 
sense organs;-*.g., 
too much food in 
the stomach. 
Aroused "mem- 
ories." 



Bond 
Nerve connections 
between situations 
and responses 
whereby when the 
situations occur, 
the responses fol- 
low. 



Response 

1. Movements of. 
voluntary mus- 
cles. 

2. Aroused activity 
of internal organs 
— e.g., wildly beat- 
ing heart, or di- 
gestion upset by 
emotion. 

3. Consciousness of 
what is in 
mind. 1 



ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON VIII 

Tarkington's story deals with fighting — one of man's 
strongest instincts. Write out in detail the answers 
to the following questions: 

1. Why did Penrod fight (a) Sam, (b) the two boys 
in the alley ? 

2. Why didn't Penrod fight the teacher, or fight 
some one on leaving school? 

3. Why did Uncle Slocum interfere in the fight? 



1 The writer is fully aware of the liberty he is taking here in calling an 
"aroused memory" a situation and "consciousness" a response. The 
student of psychology need not overlook the fact that both are phenomena 
accompanying activity of the nervous system (the bond). This is, however, 
not a technical psychological treatise, but an application of psychological 
principles to selling, and, practically speaking, "memories" aroused by one 
situation are part of the situation which immediately follows, and con- 
sciousness is part of the response to a situation. This practical view of the 
matter is sufficient for the beginner. Later on, if he desires to specialize in 
this field, he can puzzle out the ramifications of the subject. But when he 
is through, he will be very little nearer a point of view applicable to the 
solution of daily problems than he is when regarding things as here presented. 
7 



8 4 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

4. Why did Penrod kick his uncle's hat? 

5. Why did Penrod say, "I feel bully" at the close 
of the story ? 

6. Compare Penrod's conditions when his "gaze 
had relaxed, dropped to his button again, and 
his lethargy was renewed" (page 469, line 162) 
and "he was, in all inward respects, a bomb, 
loaded and ticking" (page 472, line 269). Under 
which condition would it be easier to get him to 
(a) fight, (b) buy a top, or (c) go on an errand 
for his mother? 



i 



LESSON VIII. NATIVE AND ACQUIRED 
BEHAVIOR 

Behavior has been analyzed into its three compo- 
nents — situation, bond, and response. Each of these 
components, as we have said before, may be very simple 
or very complex, as, for example, responding to "6+6" 
with "12," or to "a long-continued pent-up condition" 
with "fighting in the alley." 

Let us look at this last example of behavior for a 
moment, before proceeding to the main thought of the 
lesson. It is typical of much of human behavior and is 
no more complex than the total mental set you must 
develop in a prospect's mind before he will buy. Of 
course, it is very different in other respects. 

Penrod's fighting was due to a long series of events, 
each of which had called for action more or less violent. 
In each of these cases the total situation had been such 
that the specific action called for could not be carried 
out. That is, there had been interference with the 
natural response to many situations. Interference al- 
ways causes unpleasantness, increasing to anger. These 
situations were : 

1. Necessity of attending school (recognized 
through long experience as decidedly unpleasant). 

2. Necessity of preparing a letter. 



86 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

3. Father's edict about staying in bed (interfering 
with his customary Wednesday illness). 

4. Wednesday — arousing old habit of being sick on 
that day (habit interfered with by 3). 

5. Failure to "work" his father. 

6. Margaret's appearance (causing interference 
with outburst resulting from 5). 

7. Margaret's and mother's emphasis of need of 
haste (causing further interference with outburst result- 
ing from (5) and also forcing him to think of school — 
i.e., forcing him to do what he didn't want to do). 

8. Being forced to read letter by teacher. 

9. Ridiculed by schoolmates in school. 

10. Punished by teacher. 

11. Tormented by schoolmates after school. 

12. Kept in after school. 

13. Fear of being arrested. 

14. Fear of being scolded by Margaret. 

With all these situations there could be no adequate 
response. But he could react toward the sparrow and 
toward Mabel and Sam, and he did. Fighting is the 
most whole-souled response for a boy there is under 
such circumstances, so righting starts as soon as oc- 
casion arises. 

Sam, having fled before Penrod's outburst was 
more than really begun, Penrod still needed oppor- 
tunity to free himself of his pent-up emotions. The dog 
did not suffice, but the two boys in the alley afforded 
the unconsciously desired outlet. 

Just as many elements combined caused Penrod to 
fight, so the salesman must combine many elements 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 87 

within the mind of the prospect until their total effect 
naturally leads the prospect to buy. But we need to 
know something more about human behavior before 
discussing selling just yet. 



GENERAL OUTLINE OF LESSONS VIII TO XIV 

Any one unit of behavior, as we have seen, may be 
analyzed into the three components of situation, 
bond, and response. Distinguishing now one unit from 
another, we find that there are two particular kinds of 
behavior — native and acquired. Native behavior is 
further subdivided into the three types: (1) reflex y 
(2) emotion, (3) instinct. Acquired behavior is often 
spoken of as habit. Thus any situation-bond-response 
combination will fall under one of these four kinds or 
modes of behavior — it will be either reflex, emotion, 
instinct, or habit. Each of these modes has its place 
in selling, and an understanding of them aids particu- 
larly in securing interest, arousing desire, and produc- 
ing action. Reflexes and emotions will be discussed in 
this lesson, instincts in Lessons IX to XIV, and habits 
in Lessons XV and XVI. All this material is essential 
to a well-rounded understanding of human nature 
upon which may be built up an understanding of the 
selling process. 

NATIVE AND ACQUIRED BEHAVIOR 

In attempting to influence others, it \$ important to 
know that there are certain kinds of behavior which 



88 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

are common to all men, and, on the other hand, that 
there are other kinds which are found only among cer- 
tain men. The former are native and not learned; the 
latter are acquired through experience. 

Take the case of the sales interview between Harring- 
ton and Alderson. Harrington discovered before calling 
on Alderson that he was a director of the Continental 
Trust Company. That meant to Harrington that Al- 
derson was possessed of a certain group of interests not 
possessed by most men. Alderson's position would force 
him to become very familiar with "corporate trustee- 
ship." If Harrington could get him to think about this 
subject for a minute or two, Alderson could not help 
becoming interested. And if "corporate trusteeship' ' 
could be linked with life insurance, then insurance 
could be made interesting to Alderson because of his 
interest in the other topic. And it was just through 
this relationship that Alderson was sold. This particu- 
lar sales interview will work only with men who possess 
habits of thought concerning "corporate trusteeship." 

This interest of Alderson was acquired through ex- 
perience^ — it was learned. 

On the other hand, because almost every married 
man loves his wife (sex instinct), it is almost certain 
that an appeal to protect his wife will strongly influence 
him toward buying insurance. Such an interest is 
native — it was not learned. 

NATIVE BEHAVIOR 

"The new-born baby, without learning of any sort, 
has the use of his heart, lungs, stomach, intestines, 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 89 

liver, kidneys, and, in short, of all of his internal organs. 
He also uses all his muscles, bends and extends his limbs ? 
moves his trunk, head, and eyes in all directions, and 
makes complex and skillful movements of lips, jaws, 
tongue, throat, and larynx. He possesses, as part of 
his native equipment, not only the mere power of mus- 
cular action, but the fundamental co-ordinations of 
muscular action. These fundamental co-ordinations 
are provided by what are called the 'lower' nerve cen- 
ters in the 'spinal' cord and brain stem; and it appears 
that the organization of these lower centers is provided 
by nature. Native equipment includes also the use of 
the sense organs. The child cannot be said to learn to 
see or hear, nor to acquire the power of seeing red and 
blue, or that of hearing high and low tones, by training 
and experience. Given the proper stage in the natural 
development of the visual apparatus, and given the 
proper external stimulus (situation), the child sees red 
simply because he is made that way; or, if he chances 
to belong to that minority of male children who are 
born color blind, he does not see red because he is born 
that way. 

"Thus, the fundamentals of sensation, motion, and 
organic function are to be entered in the column 
headed 'native equipment.' There is still more to go 
there." 1 

The remainder of man's native equipment may be 
grouped under three headings: reflexes, emotions, and 
instincts. 



1 R. S. Woodworth, Dynamic Psychology, 1918, p. 47. Copyrighted by 
Columbia University Press. 



90 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

REFLEX ACTION — A MODE OF NATIVE BEHAVIOR 

A reflex act comprises a situation-bond-response com- 
bination, or mechanism, in which we have a simple 
situation and response and a bond very well formed at 
the time of birth. The following are examples: 

Situations Responses 

1. A loud noise. Jumping. 

2. Hand on hot stove. Jerking hand away. 

3. Object in eye. Shutting eye, flow of tears. 

4. Irritation in throat. Coughing. 

5. Flashing electric sign. Looking at moving light. 

Reflexes are, of course, not learned. They develop 
as naturally as the hair on one's head after birth or the 
beard on a man following puberty. When the appro- 
priate situation is presented the reflex response takes 
place (barring very exceptional cases). But this re- 
sponse is made with no particular interest in the per- 
formance. For example, a fly suddenly comes toward 
one's eye. The individual shuts his eyes and dodges his 
head. The response is automatically made and does 
not arouse any interest. Moreover, as soon as the fly 
has disappeared the whole performance fades from 
consciousness. 

Reflex mode of behavior is often useful in getting 
attention. Any sudden and especially unusual change 
in the impressions upon the eye, ear, nose, mouth, or 
skin results in "attention" to that which causes the 
change. A moving object is watched, an unusual ob- 
ject is looked at, an unusual tone of voice, either high 
or low or different in some other respect, makes us listen 






SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 91 

to it. A new odor cannot be escaped; it must be at- 
tended to. A sudden jab with a pin results inevitably 
in a jump. 

If, then, when discussing an income proposition, one 
takes a check book from one's pocket, asks the prospect 
his wife's name, and proceeds to fill out a check, say for 
$200, one will have the prospect's attention. When 
finished, one places the check in an envelope and ad- 
dresses it to the wife and then says, "Mr. Prospect, here 
is my proposition. You can make absolutely sure your 
wife will get a check like this through the mail every 
month." The salesman's moving hands and the rapid 
introduction of check book, check, and envelope com- 
pel the prospect to watch the whole process. 

It is sometimes necessary, in selling, to be able to 
jerk a prospect away from his own work to your propo- 
sition. There are many ways of doing this. Each 
salesman should accumulate as many devices for doing 
it as possible, so that when necessary he may always 
have one ready to use. We shall see, as we advance in 
the course, that any device based on reflex action will get 
attention. But it will not hold attention, nor will it secure 
interest. 

Take the device utilized by Harrington to stop Alder- 
son from dismissing him after Alderson had risen from 
his chair. The essential element in the device was that 
it compelled Alderson to stop and look. Harrington 
drew out a coin and, holding it concealed in his closed 
fist, said, "Excuse me just a moment, Mr. Alderson, I 
want to ask you just one question. Can you tell me 
what I have in my hand?" The movement inevitably 
made Alderson watch it, and while doing so he ceased 



92 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF / 

"to dismiss Harrington." He was diverted from his 
own course of action thereby. But this device held 
Alderson's attention only until the fist was opened. 
Harrington would have had to go if he had not been 
able to follow up the momentary diversion with some 
other situation which held attention. 

This subject will be considered more fully in a later 
lesson. The point to be remembered now is that atten- 
tion can always be obtained by presenting a situation 
causing a reflex response. But such a situation will not 
maintain interest. It must be immediately followed by 
a second situation designed to hold attention and 
arouse interest. 



EMOTIONS — A MODE OF NATIVE BEHAVIOR 

Very little has been known concerning man's emo- 
tions until recently, and scientists are still much in dis- 
pute regarding many phases of the subject. Watson, 1 
for example, maintains that there are only three dif- 
ferent emotions — namely, fear, rage, and love; where- 
as, Woodworth 2 speaks of grief, mirth, and other emo- 
tions; in addition, McDougall 3 recognizes a somewhat 
different list — i.e., fear, disgust, wonder, anger, sub- 
jection, elation, and tender emotion. For the practical 
salesman it is sufficient to recall to mind such states of 
mind and body and to recognize that they do play a 
part in selling. 

A very short description of how an emotional mech- 



1 J. B. Watson, Psychology from the Standpoint of a Behaviorism 1919, p. 199. 

2 R. S. Woodworth, Dynamic Psychology, 1918, p. 51. 

3 W. McDougall, Social Psychology, 19 18, chap. iii. 






SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 93 

anism operates will make this connection with selling 
more understandable. 

Why was it that Sam experienced "exquisite mo- 
ments," that his "heart beat in an unaccustomed man- 
ner," and that he suffered from embarrassment when 
he met Mabel? And why is it that, after being with 
one's girl, one is so quick to fly off the handle and fight ? 

Cannon 1 tells us that under the influence of love the 
heart beats more rapidly, the blood pressure rises, and 
breathing becomes deeper and also more rapid. The 
blood is driven out of the entire digestive system to the 
heart, lungs, brain, and muscles through the contraction 
of the blood vessels in the digestive system and their 
dilation, particularly in the muscles. Sweat may break 
out on the skin, thereby preparing the body for rapid 
elimination of heat and waste products following ex- 
cessive muscular activity. Mabel, because she is inter- 
esting to Sam, is a situation which produces all these 
bodily changes. And such changes constitute the fun- 
damental basis of an emotion. But the mechanism is 
even more complicated. There are two small glands, 
situated near the kidneys, called the adrenal glands. 
They also are stimulated by emotion. And they pour 
into the blood stream a chemical called adrenalin. This 
chemical affects the various internal organs directly 
and in the same way that the nervous system has al- 
ready done. It stimulates the heart to greater activity; 
it causes the blood vessels in the stomach and intestines 
to contract and in the muscles to dilate; it causes the 
stored-up sugar in the liver to be poured into the 
blood to be used as fuel for the working muscles; it 

1 W. B. Cannon, Bodily Changes in Pain, Hunger, Fear and Rage, 1915. 



94 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

eliminates consciousness of fatigue and it even goes 
so far, apparently, as to put the blood in such con- 
dition that it will clot more rapidly than usual if the 
body is wounded. 

What we experience when emotionally excited is the 
sum total of our consciousness of all these bodily 
changes. And apparently, whether we are excited 
because of fear, rage, or love, our body is prepared for 
the maximum expenditure of muscular activity. 

The "pent-up" condition of Penrod was, then, not a 
figure of speech. It was based upon a real adaptation 
of the body for activity of a strenuous sort. Similarly, 
Sam having been aroused by the presence of Mabel, 
was all ready to flee, fight, or love, and when she dis- 
appeared and Penrod remained, fighting was most 
natural. 

Emotional mode of behavior is useful in getting 
action. Review the methods of successful speakers, 
evangelists, politicians, labor leaders; of effective 
advertisers, particularly of a new commodity; of re- 
formers against slavery, liquor traffic, dishonest ad- 
vertising, and the like; in fact, of all leaders of men. 
Make a study of their procedure and note how in 
every case the audience is emotionally aroused. When 
you are especially thrilled and "gripped" at the 
theater or movie, stop watching the show and analyze 
the causes of your intense interest. Discover how 
you were worked up. Such stirred-up conditions do not 
always lead to action. The reason for this is that usu- 
ally there is no suggested action for you to follow, the 
aim of a theater being to amuse and not to cause you to 
do something. Herein selling is different: it consists 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 95 

in stirring a person up and at the same time directing 
that activity into a definite channel. When so stirred 
up, the prospect can actually write his name on the 
dotted line more easily than at other times. 

We shall return to this point again and again. Just 
now we are concerned in discovering the mechanisms 
within a prospect which can be utilized in influencing 
him and, second, just how to manipulate these mech- 
anisms. From this section we should carry away the 
determination so to stir a prospect that we will get a 
little adrenalin into his blood. 



ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON IX 

I. Write out the answers to the following questions 
in order to assure yourself that you have the contents of 
this lesson clearly in mind. 

a. What is the difference between a "component" 
of behavior and a "mode" of behavior? 

b. What is the difference between "native" and 
"acquired" behavior? 

c. Of what value is it to the salesman to appreciate 
the difference between these two? 

d. What are the major divisions into which man's 
native behavior is grouped? 

e. What is reflex behavior? 

f. Where is such behavior utilized in selling? 
How? 

g. What is emotional behavior? 
h. Where is such behavior utilized in selling? 
How? 



96 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

2. Read over the sales interview 1 that follows and 
show just how reflex and emotional responses were 
aroused and utilized in selling the prospect. 

Introduction. Agent knows prospect very well, has 
solicited him before and received his promise to buy; 
but prospect has continually put off final action, until 
agent realizes necessity of stirring him up and getting 
action from him in some way. 

Prospect is seated at his desk, opposite his partner, 
who is a more intimate friend of the agent than the 
prospect is. It is about eleven o'clock Saturday 
morning. Prospect and partner are very busy. They 
have a big deal hanging fire. Prospect, who is direct- 
ing most of the work, is waiting for long-distance tele- 
phone connections with three different cities at the same 
time. Both are excited. 

Prospect's name is Al. Partner's name is Bill. 

Interview. Agent enters while prospect is sitting on 
the edge of his chair with his back toward the door, 
leaning over the table which stands between him and 
his partner; he has a telephone receiver at each ear and 
is talking into one phone. Partner is seated across table, 
facing door and watching prospect excitedly, making 
signs to him to aid in directing conversation. Partner 
looks up as agent enters. 

Agent stops behind prospect, stands looking at the 
scene an instant, then at partner, who holds up his 
hand, indicating danger of interruption to prospect's 
conversation. Almost immediately, however, partner 



1 This sales interview was reported by Henry Harvey of Cleveland, Ohio, 
a graduate of the first class of the School of Life Insurance Salesmanship, 
Carnegie Institute of Technology. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 97 

removes his attention from prospect's telephoning, 
seems satisfied with it, and gets up to greet agent. 

Partner: "Where'd you come from? I thought you 
were in Pittsburgh, learning something." 

Agent: "Well, you didn't think it would take me 
forever to learn something, did you?" Then point- 
ing to prospect, "What's all the excitement? Big 
deal on?" 

Partner: "Yes. He's so excited he doesn't know 
anything. He's sitting on the wire for three long-dis- 
tance calls now, so for Heaven's sake don't disturb 
him." 

Prospect: (Hangs up receiver on phone and looks up 
for the first time.) "Hello, Hankus! How are you?" 
(holding out his hand to the agent). "You see we're 
pretty busy round here this morning." 

Agent: "Well, that's the way I like to find you. 
I'm pretty busy myself." 

Prospect: "Who? You! Why, you haven't any right 
to be busy! You're just a schoolboy, aren't you?" 

Agent: "Not to-day, Al. I'm writing life insurance 
to-day and I am here to write yours now — " 

(Prospect's phone rings and he turns to answer. He 
is soon settled at his desk again in a long conversation 
on the phone, with his partner across the table again 
seated and directing conversation by gestures and an 
occasional word. Agent sits down in a chair at the end 
of the table, where he is invited to sit by a motion of 
partner. Partner's interest in phone conversation soon 
disappears and he turns to agent.) 

"You can't get him to do anything to-day. Better 
give him up." 



98 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

(Prospect hears this remark of partner's while he is 
waiting for another connection at the phone and shows 
signs of expressing his concurrence with it, but agent 
cuts in at once.) 

Agent: "Can't help it. I'm only in town for this 
morning — " 

(Here agent is interrupted by an outburst of pros- 
pect's over the phone. Then comes another excited 
stretch of phone work involving both prospect and 
partner.) 

(Finally the phones are quiet for a time and prospect 
is very busy with papers on his desk, his back turned 
toward both agent and partner. Partner is looking up 
records in a large book, but is not so rushed over it as 
is prospect. Partner looks up at agent and smiles.) 

Agent (to partner, so that prospect hears) : " Bill, do 
you know, I am beginning to have some serious doubts 
about Al's character." 

(Prospect stops fingering his papers. Partner, smil- 
ingly inquisitive, looks at agent. ."Why?" he asks.) 

Agent: "Well, to be perfectly frank, I came over 
here this morning to find out if he's a darned liar" — 
(here the agent pauses and notes the effect of his words 
upon prospect, who straightens up and swings around 
in his chair, with fire in his eye and in apparent readi- 
ness to come back at the agent hard. Before he can 
open up, however, the agent continues steadily:) — "or 
just a procrastinator." (Turning to prospect.) "You 
know it, don't you? You know I told you long ago 
that you ought to have this insurance and that you are 
falling down on the job when you put it off. You real- 
ize it, you have said you do, and yet you haven't taken 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 99 

it. The worst of it is that you promised me faithfully 
that you would go over to the office and take care of 
this thing two months ago, and you haven't done it. 
And what's more — you know you won't do it unless I 
simply sit on you and make you do it. And that's what 
I'm here for to-day. The doctor is waiting at the office 
for us right now, so come on and let's get the thing 
done!" 

Prospect: "All right, dammit! Get out your papers 
and let's do what we can here before I leave the 
office, because one of these calls may come in any 
minute." 

(The calls do not come. As soon as the application 
is completed (for $20,000) prospect leaves his office 
with agent to go to the doctor for examination.) 
8 



LESSON IX. INSTINCTIVE BEHAVIOR 

The preceding lesson emphasized the difference be- 
tween native and acquired behavior, and it pointed 
out that we have by nature reflexes, emotions, and in- 
stincts. The first two have been described and their 
general relationship to selling pointed out. 

We are now ready to consider instinctive behavior, 
which we shall see is the real basis of most of man's 
interests. 

INSTINCT — A MODE OF NATIVE BEHAVIOR 

Instinctive units of behavior are similar to reflex 
units, except that the situations and responses are more 
complex and that the activity is interesting. The fol- 
lowing are examples: 

Situations Responses 

Man sees attractive girl. Watches her, much inter- 
ested, etc. 
Stranger interferes with Grow angry, make threat- 
what we are doing. ening movements, possi- 

bly attack him. 
See pretty baby. Smile, want to pet it, play 

with it, etc. 
Hands unoccupied, see ob- Reach for it, " fiddle " with 
ject. it. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 101 

Situations Responses 

See food when hungry. Want it, take it, and eat it 

(except for the presence 
of strong habits drilled 
into us of leaving other 
people's things alone). 

Instinctive responses are not learned. They develop 
naturally. We don't need to teach babies to cry for 
food, or to scrap and yell when interfered with, or 
young men to notice girls, or women to like babies. 
And in all these cases we are most profoundly interested 
in the object that arouses us and in our response to it. 

The Basis of Interest. Situations arousing instinc- 
tive responses are always interesting, barring unusual 
accompanying circumstances. Consider the fighting 
instinct. All men enjoy fighting. A fight between 
boys, between dogs, or between roosters, will attract a 
crowd. And the crowd is thrilled. It is estimated that 
#1,000,000 was spent by the men who attended the 
Willard-Dempsey fight at Toledo. They were willing 
to pay a high admission fee to sit in the broiling sun 
and watch two men pummel each other. How many 
other situations that you could name would accomplish 
such a response? 

Eliminate the sex instinct from the world. What 
would you have left? How many who read this book 
do so largely because they want to earn money to marry 
the woman they love or to support in better fashion the 
wife they love ? Because a man loves a woman he does 
hundreds of things he would not do otherwise. He is 
not always conscious of the real motive, but it activates 



102 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

his conduct just the same. Why is it that a college an- 
nouncement of its courses of study frequently pictures 
a young man and woman in a canoe? What warrant 
is there for mixing intellectual pursuits with such pic- 
tures ? Merely because many a young person on seeing 
the picture immediately begins to discover all sorts of 
reasons for attending this particular college in prefer- 
ence to others. And they do so without any apprecia- 
tion of the real cause of their interest. 

Instinctively we love our children, and we enjoy 
watching other people's children, particularly when 
they are small. We enjoy doing things for them. We 
often sacrifice our own pleasure for their welfare. And 
although we miss what we have given up, yet we obtain 
still greater pleasure from our service to them. Did 
you ever see a parent who did not smile when you re- 
ferred to his children and who liked you less for the 
comment? No, never. 

How much life insurance would there be in existence 
if the sex and parental instincts were completely elimi- 
nated, so that a man's wife and children appealed to 
him no more than so many acquaintances, or even 
friends ? 

THE FIGHTING INSTINCT 

A typical instinct is that of fighting. Penrod's ex- 
periences have illustrated certain phases of this instinct 
in a very concrete way. 

According to Thorndike, 1 we will fight: 

(i) When we are interfered with, by being held 



1 E. L. Thorndike, Educational Psychology, 1913, vol. i, pp. 68-75. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 103 

when we want to carry out some bodily move- 
ment (escaping from restraint). 

(2) When we are interfered with by some one in 
our way (overcoming an obstacle). 

(3) When we are attacked (counterattack). 

(4) When we experience sudden pain. The near- 
est moving object is attacked by us (irrational 
response to pain). 

(5) When another male does not take the attitude 
of submission and when we do not take it 
toward him (combat in rivalry). 

(6) When another male "hangs around" when we 
are with a girl we are interested in. 

(7) When for some length of time we are thwarted 
in any particular response, especially if the 
thwarting continues after we have done vari- 
ous things to evade it. 

Under civilized conditions we do not always fight 
when confronted with such situations because of the 
development of habits regulating our control. But we 
want to fight and may do so if the situation becomes 
prominent enough or too long continued. The news- 
papers almost every day recount a murder or two illus- 
trating the above causes for fighting. And sometimes 
the irritating cause has continued for years before some 
little incident fanned the smoldering embers into life. 

Thorndike has given us the situations which lead to 
fighting responses. But do these responses remain the 
same throughout life from babyhood to old age? 

One of the native capacities of man is to learn, to 
acquire new responses to the old situations, and to 
react to new situations. All instincts become modified 



io4 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

through experience. Among adults, accordingly, we 
do not find instinctive action similar to that found 
among children. Certain phases of the native be- 
havior have become noticeably modified. But under- 
lying all these changes there still exists the primitive 
tendency to do certain things when certain situations 
are encountered. Let us see how the fighting instinct 
may be modified. We see it in its pure form in the small 
boy. He loves to fight. A good share of his time is 
spent in bullying his sisters and girl friends, in wres- 
tling and play fighting; and, when occasion arises, in 
the genuine article. Except when his behavior inter- 
feres with the rights and happiness of others he should 
be allowed to develop as a little savage. For all men 
are likely to meet situations in life when they need to 
fight, and unless they have had experience they will 
be more or less helpless or act the part of a coward. 

The first step in developing a law-abiding, peaceful, 
male citizen is to allow him to know the sweet joy of 
licking another boy and, what is equally important, to 
experience defeat. Without this a well-rounded 
character can hardly emerge. 

The second step is to teach him that men do not 
fight over trivial things; that there is no honor or glory 
in licking a smaller boy, or any girl; that fighting 
should be reserved for self-defense and in behalf of 
others who need protection. Here we inhibit certain 
of his instinctive tendencies and encourage others. 
The stories of great heroes and the lives of men and 
older boys about him coupled up with the admonitions 
of his womenfolks are sufficient in ordinary environ- 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 105 

ments to accomplish this slight change in his native 
behavior. 

Next comes the emphasis upon fighting for prin- 
ciples, not personalities. Baseball in the back lot is 
responsible for much of America's interest in fair 
play and principles of justice and righteousness. At 
the beginning small boys play ball 10 per cent of the 
time and fight 90 per cent. As they grow older the 
fighting gradually decreases and the playing increases. 
During this period each group of boys works out rules 
which govern the action of all. Then, and not until 
then, they desire an umpire to administer them. 

From support of an umpire in baseball, they pro- 
ceed, or can be led to proceed, most easily to an ap- 
preciation of and respect for our courts, interstate 
commerce commissions, treaties, and a league of na- 
tions. The Anglo-Saxons are the great game-playing 
nations, and there is no doubt that through these ex- 
periences in boyhood and young manhood they have 
learned to redirect their fighting tendencies into new 
channels of great service to their nations and the 
world. Contrast behavior with respect to elections 
in the United States with that in Mexico to-day. 

The true man of to-day is not looking for an oppor- 
tunity to fight with his fists. His instinctive behavior 
has been changed too much for that. But he dearly 
loves to engage with others in a fight for some prin- 
ciple. Prohibition, vigilance work in advertising, 
pure-food movements, political campaigns, raising the 
quota for one's city in a Liberty Loan — all these and 
many more appeal tremendously. Men love to over- 
come difficulties — the greater, the better. And when 



106 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

help is needed the difficulties should be played up, not 
the certainty of victory, if enthusiasm is to be aroused. 
Only victory won after a struggle is worth while and it 
brings a reward in man's instinctive life sufficient for 
the effort expended. 

Rivalry. Closely related to fighting is rivalry. We 
tend to do what others are instinctively doing and to 
do it with greater vigor. For example, if A gets our 
attention, B will attempt to get us to pay attention to 
him, and in consequence act more excitedly than A. 
Other examples of rivalry are such as these: A starts 
to run after a dog or pig, or off a ferryboat, or toward 
the station. B follows suit and attempts to outdistance 
A in the performance. A crowd of boys or young men 
starting out for a walk illustrate the instinct clearly. 
Each one endeavors to keep slightly in the lead, with the 
result that such a "walk" usually is transformed into 
an intense struggle for supremacy. As with all in- 
stincts, the successful working out of the instinctive 
behavior brings keen pleasure. 

Rivalry partakes of much of what has been described 
under the heading of fighting. As we ordinarily think 
of it, rivalry has a central core of instinctive tendencies 
surrounded by many modifying habits due to social 
pressure. When so developed it becomes one of the 
best features of modern life, leading a man constantly 
to struggle to beat his competitors, but always follow- 
ing the rules of the game. Upon it are built most of the 
schemes whereby sales managers keep a sales force 
nerved up to do their best work. And the prizes offered 
to the best salesman occasion the expenditure of greater 
energy than double the value of the prizes quietly added 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 107 

to the salaries of all the salesmen. For the prize is a 
definite object arousing the instincts of acquisition and 
possession in a way that is not accomplished by money; 
and, furthermore, the attainment of the prize stimu- 
lates the mastering, fighting, and rivalry instincts. The 
struggle for sales becomes interesting for its own sake 
because thereby we are beating some one we know and 
obtaining recognition from others. 

Jealousy. "It is an original tendency of man to be 
annoyed by the perception of another receiving certain 
attention and treatment which his own behavior would 
otherwise get for himself. Young children are thus in- 
tolerant of the fondling of others by their mothers; 
lovers, of the attentiveness of their mates to others; 
mothers, of the affection and notice given by their 
children to others. There seems, however, to be no 
uniform behavior characteristic of these jealous dis- 
comforts. Attacks on the competing object, seizure 
and holding of the person whose attitude toward one is 
being made inadequate, general raging, sulking, pining, 
grief, and other activities are manifested. The original 
basis of envy seems to be simply discomfort at seeing 
others approved, and at being outdone by them. ,, l 

This instinct constitutes one of the unfortunate 
phases of rivalry in life. Much is done in early life to 
counteract its appearance. Nevertheless, it is apparent 
almost every day as we watch human beings. A de- 
partment-store manager said only the other day that 
because of petty jealousies between buyers in his store 
it was an extremely difficult thing to introduce reforms 
badly needed. Each step had to be most carefully 

1 E, L. Thorndike, Educational Psychology, 1913, vol. i, p. lot, 



108 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

studied and presented to all concerned in a tactful 
manner before the measure could be promulgated as an 
order. Otherwise the increased jealousies more than 
outweighed the advantages to be gained by the change. 



THE APPEAL TO INSTINCTIVE ACTION IN SELLING 

Selling involves fundamentally two problems: first, 
how to stir the prospect up so he will act ; and second, 
how to direct the action into the right channel. There 
are, of course, many other things to be done in selling, 
such as getting the prospect to be willing to be inter- 
viewed. But, after all, these two are the basic prob- 
lems of selling. 

Most books on selling practically ignore the problem 
of stirring up the prospect, or if they do consider it 
they view it solely as a problem connected with closing 
the sale. The reason for so many failures in closing is 
that the prospect has not been stirred up so that he 
wants to do something. These books direct nearly all 
their attention toward directing action into the right 
channel — i.e., to buying. But unless the prospect is 
converted from an immobile mechanism to one that 
is alive with desire and activity, there is no possibility 
of decision and a satisfactory 7 close. 

How then shall we arouse activity? By presenting 
to our prospect situations that will arouse instinctive 
action and emotion. 

Harrington had a difficult case to handle in selling 
insurance to Alderson. (See Lesson II.) He knew Al- 
derson was deeply interested in trust companies. 
Consequently he utilized this link in interesting Alder- 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 109 

son. But before he attempted to close he made good 
use of Alderson's love for his children — particularly in 
terms of the boy's picture on the desk. He made 
Alderson compare in his mind the day dreams he had 
for his children's welfare with what might happen. 
And Alderson could not help becoming excited as he 
contemplated misfortune and unhappiness coming to 
those he loved. One of the biggest reasons for his 
slaving at his work was to prevent just that. To take 
out further insurance became only one more thing he 
could do in addition to all the sacrifices he had already 
made. 

All insurance salesmen know how to appeal to a man's 
love for his wife and children (sex and parental in- 
stincts). But few salesmen consciously attempt to 
use the fighting instinct. Note how Harrington accom- 
plished this. After outlining his proposition he added, 
"This will enable you to complete your plans as to the 
future of your wife, your daughter, and your boy" 
(page 36, line 293). A few lines farther on he comes 
back to this theme and says: "That is your completion 
plan. It adds to your life program the one thing 
lacking, a definiteness and an absolute certainty, a 
minimum protection," again summarizing how it pro- 
vides for all his family. Farther on, Harrington adds: 
"You can see, can't you, that what I want to sell you 
isn't so much life insurance as it is a surety bond for 
the absolute completion of your life plans for your 
wife, your daughter, and your boy without any pos- 
sibility of failure. Isnt that a big thing for any man to 
accomplish?" 

Here are incitements arousing Alderson to fight 



no THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

for a big thing so that his loved ones may never be in 
want, whether he lives or not. This is the appeal sales- 
men must put over if they would use the great strength 
of the fighting instinct in motivating their insurance 
proposition. 

SUMMARY 

In order to understand human behavior we must 
comprehend that certain situations instinctively make 
us act in certain ways (or to want to, if we don't act) 
and that when we do not so act we experience a bottled- 
up feeling which sooner or later will be released. Grief 
at the death of a wife may result in suicide or in re- 
doubled efforts in one's business. But the pent-up 
activity which ordinarily would have been devoted 
in attentions to the wife must drain off in some channel. 
Much of the unrest of modern life is due to the non- 
functioning of our instincts, which are constantly stim- 
ulated, but are not allowed to function. Wanderlust 
ceases when we become engaged. If it appears again 
it is indicative of the fact that the wife is no longer 
loved to any extent. Inability to love a woman, to care 
for children, to fight in some form (getting members for 
a club, or beating a competitor, etc.), to be looked up 
to by a group as a leader in some activity, etc., keeps 
us uneasy and unhappy. 

An instinctive act is a fairly specific mode of behavior 
in which we find : 

(i) Certain situations in life tend to make an individ- 
ual respond in a certain way. 

(2) The individual is always emotionally interested in 
the situation affecting him and desirous of responding. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE m 

(3) If other factors prevent the instinctive response being 
made, the individual is restless and uneasy, and his stored- 
up energy is very liable to suddenly appear in some quite 
different activity. 

All these points have been sufficiently illustrated 
in the Penrod story, so that they need no further 
elaboration. 



ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON X 

Recall the causes of fighting between Penrod and 
Sam, also between Penrod and the boys in the alley. 

Carefully rehearse your experience of the day. Re- 
call the various occasions upon which you were annoyed 
or irritated or really felt like fighting. Also recall the 
incidents you witnessed during the day wherein others 
showed by their action they were aroused in such ways. 

Consider carefully five to ten of these cases and then 
write out as fully as you can the situations which caused 
these incidents and the responses which took place. 

The more conscientiously you watch your own behav- 
ior and that of others and analyze the situations which 
caused it and the responses made, the more rapidly and 
thoroughly will you come to understand how to handle 
others. Illustrations of how you may use such informa- 
tion will be given in the following lessons. 



LESSON X. MAN'S INSTINCTIVE BEHAVIOR 
TOWARD HUMAN BEINGS 

Psychologists are not agreed as to the details con- 
cerning man's instinctive behavior. A vast amount of 
patient observation and analysis must be carried on 
before many controversies will be closed. 1 Certain in- 
stincts can be listed, however, as playing an important 
role in our native make-up and can be considered in 
their relation to the selling of insurance. 

Before proceeding to a discussion of the various in- 
stincts, recall again what has been stated about them. 
Particularly note that an instinct involves a situation 
to which is connected certain specific responses. What 
particularly concerns the salesman is what these situa- 
tions and their responses are, so that he will be able at 
will to create the necessary situations which will arouse 
the desired modes of behavior. 



OUTLINE OF LESSONS X TO XIV, DEALING WITH MAN'S 
INSTINCTIVE BEHAVIOR 

Man's instinctive equipment may be divided into 
two groups — his instinctive behavior toward human 

1 In this presentation of the subject of instinctive behavior there is no 
serious attempt to distinguish between the irreducible minimum of behavior 
involved in any instinct and that behavior which is acquired by nearly all 
individuals through ordinary contact with other individuals. This distinc- 
tion is of great importance to the psychologist, but of little or no significance 






SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 113 

beings and that toward objects and animals. The first 
group is considered in this and the following lessons; 
the second group is considered in Lesson XIV. Inter- 
vening between the two are Lessons XII and XIII, 
which discuss how to utilize instinctive interests in sell- 
ing insurance. 

Upon meeting an individual there is first of all an in- 
stinctive tendency to make him notice us. (1. Be- 
havior toward human beings in general.) There seems 
to be an instinctive tendency to approve or be scornful 
of his behavior. (2. Approving and scornful behavior.) 
Following the initial "size-up" of the individual, we 
apparently assume one of the following attitudes toward 
him: 

To act as leader (3. Leadership — mastering in- 
stinct). 

To act as follower (4. Following a leader — submis- 
sion — loyalty). 

To act as a rival (5. Rivalry — jealousy — fighting). 

To be afraid and retreat (6. Flight, etc.). 

To join with him and others (7. Gregariousness — 
friendship). 

To assume the mating relationship — only toward 
certain individuals of the opposite sex (8. Sex 
instinct). 

In addition to the above, there is certain behavior as- 
sumed by parents toward their offspring (9. Parental 

to the salesman. The latter is concerned only in knowing what types of 
behavior he may count on in dealing with the average human being, and 
what types of behavior are peculiar only to certain individuals. These two 
types are distinguished in this text as "native" and "acquired" behavior, 
respectively. 



ii 4 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

instinct). There is possibly also an instinctive tend- 
ency to co-operate with others, over and above what is 
included in the gregarious instinct (10. Social instinct). 
The above ten instincts or groups of instincts may 
not include all man's instinctive equipment, but they 
will furnish sufficient basis for the knowledge which a 
salesman should have concerning human behavior. 
Each is discussed in turn, except that of rivalry — jeal- 
ousy — fighting, which has already been considered in 
the preceding lesson. 

I. BEHAVIOR TOWARD HUMAN BEINGS IN GENERAL 

Human beings, like objects, are noticed by us. But 
instead of approaching, handling, and manipulating 
human beings, as we do small inoffensive objects, we act 
in such a way as to attract their attention to us. This 
is very clear in the behavior of babies and small chil- 
dren who can hardly be induced to play away from the 
mother. Older children will invariably select the 
"home" in "hide and seek" at a point prominently 
near adults in preference to better locations out of sight. 
In general, one experiences restless annoyance until 
noticed by another person. Thorndike l calls attention 
to the fact that "a man entering a room where another 
stands absorbed will often, in spite of the conventions 
of citified habits, feel a measurable irritation, walk past 
him, ring for a waiter, or the like, though he would not 
have felt and done so had the room been empty. Chil- 
dren seem to act in this way irrespective both of any 
acquired intention to win approval and of the more 

1 E. L. Thorndike, Educational Psychology 1913, vol. i, p. 88. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 115 

aggressive behavior which we call self-assertiveness or 
display. " 

The desire for this attention is possibly most clearly 
noticed when we enter an office or store and receive no 
sign that the occupants have seen us. But if one of 
them simply nods and goes right on with his work we 
are relieved and will submit to a much greater delay 
than otherwise. 



2. APPROVING AND SCORNFUL BEHAVIOR 

Approving and scornful behavior is instinctively 
shown by us toward others. And, of course, we in 
turn are the recipients of such behavior. 

a. Approving and scornful behavior shown by us. 
When another exhibits any instinctive act of strength 
or daring, or rescues us or others from fear, or relieves 
us from hunger, or shows gorgeous display, we in- 
stinctively show approval by smiling, or staring in a 
respectful manner, or shouting encouragement. 

On the other hand, evidences of physical weakness 
and meanness, emptyhandedness, deformity, and 
cowardice cause us to frown, hoot, and sneer. 

One has only to attend a baseball game to see both 
of these instinctive responses shown repeatedly. 
Often we see the crowd reverse itself within a few 
minutes, first hooting and yelling at a player for 
muffing an easy catch, and then cheering just as 
vociferously over the successful handling of a difficult 
one. 

b. Approving or scornful behavior shown toward us. 
y 



n6 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Now, how do we react when approval or scorn is 
expressed toward us? 

"Intimate approval, as by smiles, pats, admission 
to companionship, and the like" from one we consider 
our superior gives us great satisfaction. "Humble 
approval, as by admiring glances, from anyone" gives 
us also great satisfaction. 

On the other hand, "the withdrawing of approving 
intercourse" by superiors or the showing of disap- 
proval by anyone, as by looks of scorn and derision, 
provokes a discomfort that may strengthen to utter 
wretchedness. 

Certainly we all do love approval! But approval 
from those we consider below us must be of a humble 
sort. A pat on the back from a colored shoeblack will 
never be accepted. How we should enjoy it, however, 
coming from our boss! "The elaborate paraphernalia 
and rites of fashion in clothes exist chiefly by virtue of 
their value as means of securing diffuse notice and 
approval. The primitive sex display is now a minor 
cause; women obviously dress for other women's 
eyes. Much the same thing is true of subservience 
to fashions in furniture, food, manners, morals, and 
religion." 

And how we dislike signs of disapproval! "The 
institution of tipping, which began perhaps in kindli- 
ness and was fostered by economic self-interest, is now 
well-nigh impregnable because no man is brave enough 
to withstand the scorn of a line of lackeys whom he 
heartily despises, or of a few onlookers whom he will 
never see again." l 

1 E. L. Thorndike, op. cit., p. 90. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 117 

3. LEADERSHIP, MASTERY, SECURING FAVORABLE 
ATTENTION 

Closely connected with the instinctive response of 
feeling satisfaction when approval is shown us is the 
instinctive behavior of attempting to secure more of 
such approval. Upon meeting an individual who no- 
tices us, but with no signs of approving or submissive 
behavior, we tend to straighten up, stare at him or ig- 
nore him, do whatever we are doing somewhat more 
rapidly and energetically, and show off generally. If 
the individual looks on without interference or scorn, 
we experience satisfaction from our behavior. In 
some cases we go farther by approaching him, increasing 
the erectness of the head, looking him in the eye, and 
perhaps nudging or shoving him. 

If the individual does not show submissiveness, 
rivalry and fighting responses may follow. (See Les- 
son IX.) 

If the individual does show submissiveness, we may 
swagger and strut about in triumph or we may assume 
the normal relation of leader and follower. 

Under civilized conditions of to-day these instinc- 
tive responses are usually more or less covered up. But 
observation of any person for a little while will soon 
show evidences of all that is recorded here, although it 
will show itself primarily in mounting irritation and 
evidences of dislike for so-and-so. 

a. Display is probably a part of the mastering be- 
havior which occurs when the other individual is 
friendly toward us, but cannot be made submissive to 
us. Among adult men display is typical of those with 



n8 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

little masculinity, and with little physical vigor and 
force of character. It is not found very often among 
men or women who have real ability. It is essentially 
a means used to obtain such mastery by those who do 
not naturally command leadership. Because the de- 
ception is seen through so frequently, we find mingled 
with the instinctive attitude of submission to display 
the opposite feeling of superiority, which combined 
gives us contempt. Listen to the comments of shop 
girls about an overdressed customer or the remarks of 
laboring men concerning their boss who appears on the 
job in kid gloves. 

In those professions where superiority is accorded a 
man on the basis of what he knows and produces, as in 
science, literature, invention, engineering, and the like, 
we find few examples of display. But certain profes- 
sions, which involve the physical or mental leadership 
of men, as politics, the army, managerial positions over 
labor, necessitate leaders who instinctively command 
submission. Here display appears, often to excess. 
Contrast the uniforms of a naval officer and an enlisted 
man. 

Selling belongs in the class of occupations which in- 
volve the leadership of men. Where the salesman sells 
to an inferior class, display is an asset. But because 
most salesmen deal with many men who are instinc- 
tively superior to them, it is realized now that the red 
necktie and loud vest do more harm than good. For 
they not only distract attention, but also rile many a 
prospect into trying to show the wearer he doesn't 
amount to much. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 119 

b. Ambition. Hawkins 1 has defined ambition in 
much the way that most of us view it in connection 
with ourselves. He says: "We want to make names 
for ourselves, to earn plenty of money for our needs, and 
to have the gratification of consciousness that our life 
work is of real benefit to oar fellow men." Webster's Dic- 
tionary gives the definition of ambition much more as 
we see it exemplified in others — i.e., "an eager, and 
sometimes an inordinate, desire for preferment, honor, 
superiority, power, or the attainment of something." 
We would do those things which would make others 
look up to us with approval; we want to experience the 
enjoyment resulting from approval and submission. 

But life is very complex, and there are many ways by 
which we may obtain such gratification. The writer 
knew a man years ago who was perfectly willing to 
work at common labor, although he could do better 
work, and to allow his wife to run a boarding house to 
maintain the family. He had no ambition to earn more 
money or to keep his wife in comfort. His whole mas- 
tering instinct was concentrated on playing checkers, 
on winning in that game, on being looked up to as the 
best checker player in town. And apparently he secured 
enough gratification from such success as to satisfy him, 
even though during most of the day he had to assume 
a submissive attitude toward others. 

No one, not even the President of the United States, 
can be a real leader in every respect. Consequently, 
we all very rapidly establish certain standards for judg- 
ing our worth . We say to ourselves, " I don't pretend to 
know an ything about this thing or that. Let those who 

1 N. A. Hawkins, Tlu Selling Process, 1918, p. 18. 



i2o THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

do get all that's coming to them. But I will succeed 
along this line. I'll make people recognize my worth 
here." And so a hardware dealer may never have a 
thought of competing for distinction with his dentist 
or minister or the circuit judge. But every act of his 
rival around the corner is watched with the greatest 
interest, either with great gratification at his errors or 
great dissatisfaction and worry at his successes. This 
same hardware merchant may also be ambitious in 
Sunday-school work. There again every act of those 
he looks upon as rivals becomes of tremendous im- 
portance. 

Ambition, pride, display, are referred to by many 
writers as motives for buying. They are. But unless 
one understands far more about these motives than 
is indicated in books on selling, one is not aided 
materially by being told to appeal to a man's am- 
bition. The further question must always be asked 
in such cases: In what way does the prospect attempt 
to win approval? 

A professional man was urged to give up his academic 
life and to devote his energies to business. The busi- 
ness man making the offer was perfectly helpless after 
he had made his two selling points — a great reputation 
and larger income. The professional man was satisfied 
that his academic work would bring him reputation 
enough, and the increase in income did not appeal to 
him as compared with the satisfaction to be obtained 
by completing work he was now engaged upon. If the 
business man had urged the professor to enter business 
in order that in five years' time he might thoroughly 
understand how far the theories of his science applied 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 121 

to business conditions and to attempt the discovery of 
new principles, the professor might have been "sold" 
to the change. For success in such a field would give 
him satisfaction and would win him approval from the 
men with whom the professor was consciously com- 
peting. 

"A piano salesman had been working for a certain 
sale for two weeks. The prospect was a widow who was 
buying the piano for her daughter. She had intended 
to buy a higher priced piano until this salesman came 
on the ground and showed her a saving of #190 in buy- 
ing his piano. 

"Then she decided that she would rather have the 
higher priced piano for her daughter — that the extra 
prestige in its name was worth #190 — satisfaction of 
pride. 

"The salesman was up against it. His strong talk 
on the #190 saving that had started things his way 
was ineffective now. He sat down at the demonstrat- 
ing piano and as he ran his fingers over the keys seized 
the opportunity to do a little hard thinking. 

"My only argument is the same quality at $190 
less price/ he reflected. ' But she doesn't care so much 
for $190 as for that high-sounding name on the other 
piano. That's vanity — and the only motive I have to 
play on is money.' 

"Then an idea occurred. 

"If vanity was a motive in buying a piano, couldn't 
he. . . . 

"Well, here is what he did: 

"Of course, you know, Mrs. Houston,' he said as 
he stopped playing and turned round on the bench, 



122 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

'how you enjoy a piano depends more on the one 
playing it than on the piano itself. By the way, 
what instructor are you going to have for your 
daughter?' 

"'Miss Martin/ the lady replied. 

"'Hum!' returned the salesman, ( I would advise 
you to have Professor Habicht.' 

"'Mercy!' she exclaimed. 'He charges five dollars 
for half-hour lessons! I cannot afford it/ 

'"Miss Martin charges two dollars a lesson, I be- 
lieve ? ' 

'"Yes/ 

"'Then,' said the salesman, 'the $190 you plan to 
spend by buying this other piano, is going to cost your 
daughter sixty lessons that she might have with Profes- 
sor Habicht. 

'"Sixty lessons under Habicht is too big a thing to 
overlook, Mrs. Houston, when your daughter's whole 
musical ability is at stake/ 

"He got the woman to thinking about what that 
#190 would buy, and finally sold the piano." 1 

c. Construction, workmanship. Many writers con- 
tend that there are instinctive tendencies to construct 
things, or to work, and particularly to take pleasure in 
the products of one's work. The point of view held 
here is that there are no such original tendencies, but 
that these are various ways in which an individual 
strives to secure approval and to lead others. Small 
children show, if anything, a tendency to destroy, to 
tear apart, not to put together. They must be taught 
to do constructive things. And here they tend to con- 

1 H. Watson, Knack of Selling, 1913, Book i, pp. 18, 19. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 123 

struct only so far as to secure attention, and favorable 
attention at that. Paper dolls will be cut out in a most 
ragged way. If the other girls do no better and the 
mother beams with interest, the performance is suffi- 
cient. But if the standard of perfection is higher, then 
the work must be done better or there is no reward for 
it — reward being the favorable attention given it by 
others. 

4. FOLLOWING A LEADER — SUBMISSION — LOYALTY 

"Hey there, that's the wrong car!" and, "This car, 
please, sir," represent two different attitudes we in- 
stinctively take toward a stranger. If he is not viewed 
as an inferior, it is most likely he will be viewed as a 
master and leader, and we expect him to act accord- 
ingly. The preceding section has traced something of 
our native behavior as leaders, but frequently we show 
submission ourselves. This is very clearly our response 
when we meet a human being larger than ourselves or 
of "angry and mastering aspect." "When weak from 
wounds, sickness, and fatigue, the tendency is stronger. 
The man who is bigger, who can outyell and outstare 
us, who can hit us without our hitting him, and who 
can keep us from moving, does originally extort a 
crestfallen, abashed physique and mind. Women in 
general are thus by original nature submissive to 
men in general. Submissive behavior is apparently 
not annoying when assumed as the instinctive re- 
sponse to its natural stimulus. Indeed, it is perhaps 
a common satisfier." l 

a. Shyness. Thorndike 2 suggests that shyness is 

1 E, L. Thprndike, op. cit. t p. 93, 2 j[bid, } p. 95. 



i2 4 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

a phase of submissiveness which appears when the mas- 
terful individual arousing the response is not particu- 
larly dominating in a physical way. The shy individ- 
ual does not show gross bodily cringing or accept the 
attitude of subserviency. "Thus, where a powerful 
and hostile crowd would provoke submission in toto, a 
mere crowd or a fairly friendly crowd provokes shy- 
ness, and the speaker simply cannot look at them quite 
squarely or speak naturally. Similarly, while a suffi- 
ciently domineering mistress may provoke submission 
in toto, the ordinary nice girl makes her admirers simply 
shy. Similarly, the adult whose behavior, if fully mas- 
terful, would provoke submission in toto, by omitting 
certain features of his mastering behavior, reduces its 
effect upon others to shyness." 

b. Self - conscious Behavior. Our authority ex- 
plains this type of behavior as due to a balancing of 
the responses in the case of a situation which arouses 
neither shy nor assertive behavior. The person who is 
concerned in the situation varies his conduct slightly 
so that now one and now the other set of responses 
is made. We have, then, an alternation of instinc- 
tive behavior which is always annoying and makes 
us very conscious of what we are doing. We do 
not settle down to a mastering attitude nor to a 
submissive one. 

This instinct to act in a submissive way is possibly 
the hardest of all to understand, just because none of 
us like to admit that we are submissive. But we are, 
just the same, and we enjoy being so just as much as 
being leaders. 

The writer was stationed at Washington for several 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 125 

months following the armistice, and became interested 
in the increasing discontent throughout that city. The 
reason, as he sees it, for much of the unrest was due to 
the lack of leaders. The President and many promi- 
nent Americans were abroad. Those in this country 
could not tell what was going to happen, and in conse- 
quence did not act. Conferences were held and noth- 
ing resulted. Subordinates submitted reports and asked 
for instructions and did not get them, or only occasion- 
ally. The whole system of leadership was upset by the 
armistice. And men all along the line cursed anything 
and everything that in any conceivable way touched 
their work. Without realizing it, they missed the rela- 
tionship of submission to the system they had become 
adapted to. What men want in the army is a leader, 
a real leader, one who makes them instinctively follow, 
as Napoleon or Cromwell did. And the same thing is 
wanted in business, in politics, in life everywhere. 
Roosevelt was such a born leader, and men and women 
loved to follow him. Neither Taft nor Wilson equaled 
him in their ability to arouse instinctive submission. 
Men followed them, but too often it was done with a 
feeling of uneasiness or even of rebellion. 

If there is any truth in the oft-repeated statement 
that salesmen are born, not made, it has reference to 
the salesman's instinctive ability to make men submis- 
sive to him. There are such men. We meet them 
occasionally. When they enter our office we rise and go 
forward to meet them. We show them every attention. 
We enjoy being in their company. We desire to have 
them notice us. Such men have a tremendous advan- 



126 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

tage over average men. Fortunately for the rest of us, 
there are not many such born leaders. 

Hawkins has done much in his book to point out how 
the average man may improve his ability along these 
lines. In one place, he says: "It won't do just to put 
on princeliness. Imitations show they are counterfeits. 
You must be a real American prince in your nature or 
you cannot maintain the physical bearing of a man of 
equality in all circumstances and with any other man 
you meet. But the inner consciousness of princeliness 
will not give you the physical bearing of an American 
prince. You must practice to acquire that. Study the 
physical bearing of the man who makes the impression 
of nobility at sight. Analyze how he carries himself; 
how he stands; his movements. Do not attempt to 
copy him, but use him as a guide in your own 
training. 

"You know men whose physical bearing, regardless 
of their size and strength, will command respect wher- 
ever they go. Prepare yourself outwardly for selling 
with that kind of a bearing, and you take out insurance 
that prospects of all kinds will feel intuitive respect for 
you when you enter their presence." 1 

5. RIVALRY — JEALOUSY — FIGHTING 

See Lesson IX for the discussion of these instinctive 
modes of behavior. They take place between A and 
B when A cannot command B's submission, and will 
not in turn be submissive to B. 

1 N. A. Hawkins, op. cit.> pp. 106, 107. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 127 

6. FLIGHT AND OTHER INSTINCTIVE RESPONSES ACCOM- 
PANIED BY FEAR 

The popular notion is that man is instinctively afraid 
of many things, such as a thunderstorm, darkness, 
snakes, certain vermin, large animals approaching one, 
strange persons with unfriendly mien, and the like. 
The more scientists study the matter, the less they find 
that the popular view is correct. Small babies are ap- 
parently not instinctively afraid of any of these, unless 
it is a loud noise. In fact, the chances are very strong 
that we actually learn to be afraid of certain definite 
objects. But the emotion of being afraid is one of our 
native modes of behavior which we do not learn. After 
we have so learned to be afraid, we may show a great 
variety of responses, depending upon details of the 
situation. Thus, we may cry out at seeing a snake, 
become almost paralyzed upon encountering a spider, 
run from a cow that looks at us, or hide under the 
bed when it thunders. The essential response here 
is paralysis of action (beautifully seen in young par- 
tridge when flushed) or dodging, crouching, squirming, 
or flight. 

All have experienced at some time this paralyzing 
effect upon meeting another suddenly in the dark or in 
a place where no one was supposed to be present. 
Women, because of their inferior physical strength, 
suffer much more frequently from such situations. 

These instinctive reactions have no value in selling. 
They are mentioned here only to make clear that ap- 
peals to fear will not arouse a man to buy except when 
he is cornered and buying is the only method out. Such 



128 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

strategy is nothing more nor less than blackmail and 
will do the salesman more harm than good. To attempt 
to intimidate a prospect is either to paralyze him or to 
make him try to get away. What is wanted in selling 
is to arouse a prospect so that he wants to come toward 
you and your proposition, and further to make him 
feel he has bought not through coercion, but because 
he wanted to. 

A slight modification of the above should be noted. 
During the presentation of an insurance proposition it 
is essential, in nearly every case, that the prospect face 
the possibility of his dying. Unless he is convinced of 
this possibility he will not buy. The arousal of fear 
in connection with this thought may aid in selling. 
But the emotion should be only aroused and then 
dismissed. 

The difficulty with the use of fear as an aid to selling 
is that it is so likely to attach itself to the wrong ele- 
ment. Thus fear of injury aroused in selling tire chains 
may attach itself to the chain itself or to using an auto 
instead of to the idea of "driving a car without chains. " 
And in selling insurance, fear may attach itself to 
the thought of not being able to carry the insurance 
instead of to the idea of dying and leaving the 
family unprotected. 

Self-preservation. To clear up a misunderstanding 
which occurs to many, a word on the so-called instinct 
of self-preservation is in order. The writer views this 
so-called instinct as a generic term to cover many dis- 
tinct instincts, such as eating and the whole process of 
nutrition, fighting, flight, and paralysis in the face of 
some kinds of danger. Each of these is treated sepa- 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 129 

rately and there is no need to discuss self-preservation 
by itself. 

Another misunderstanding with respect to this topic 
needs to be straightened out. Our instincts protect us 
from certain dangers and maintain life by making us 
eat, etc. But there are many dangers which do not 
arouse a response that will properly protect the indi- 
vidual. Horses eat the loco weed and die: they do not 
have an instinctive dislike of it. Human beings will 
eat many poisons very readily. And they do not natu- 
rally avoid disease germs or fire damp in a mine, nor 
heavily charged electric wires. To all such situations 
they must learn the proper response. 

ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON XI 

Write out the answers to the following questions: 

1. In terms of the first instinct listed in this lesson, 
can you eliminate one cause for individuals be- 
coming annoyed and irritated at you? 

2. Name ten business associates. Arrange them 
in order of merit from best to poorest according 
as they command attention and leadership. At 
what point in this list do you belong? What 
characteristics might you acquire which would 
aid you in more easily securing notice from 
others ? (Bear in mind in this connection these 
words of Theodore Roosevelt: "Having been a 
rather sickly and awkward boy, I was as a young 
man at first both nervous and distrustful of my 
prowess. I had to train myself painfully and 



i 3 o THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

laboriously, not merely as regards my body, 
but as regards my soul and spirit.") 

3. How can you utilize man's desire for approval 
in selling insurance ? 

4. How can you utilize man's instinctive desire to 
follow certain men and be loyal to them in sell- 
ing insurance? 



LESSON XL MAN'S INSTINCTIVE BEHAVIOR 
TOWARD HUMAN BEINGS (Continued) 

The object of much of this discussion regarding in- 
stincts is illustrated in the following quotation from 
Whitehead: 1 

"Two life insurance salesmen representing different 
companies called upon the head of a large brokerage 
house. Smith knew that the prospect was a cautious, 
successful business man with a reputation for driving 
a hard bargain and nothing more. So he emphasized 
the value of insurance from the viewpoint of safety and 
business protection and he laid stress upon the financial 
strength of his company. His appeal was made solely 
to business acumen. While the prospect seemed in- 
terested, no decision was reached. 

"Jones, his competitor, before calling on the broker 
made a few inquiries about him. In addition to the 
information secured by Smith, he ascertained that the 
prospect was a martinet in business and also in his 
home. The only person before whom his manner ever 
relaxed in its severity was a crippled daughter on whom 
he lavished all his affection. He seldom mentioned her 
and few people knew of her. Jones discovered this fact 
through a friend who was a member of a club to which 
the broker belonged. 

"Whe n Jones opened the interview he outlined the 

1 H. Whitehead, Principles of Salesmanship, 1918, pp. 97-98. 
10 



i 3 2 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

advantages of his offer as briefly as possible and then 
asked for a decision. As he expected, this was in the 
negative. 'Mr. Blank,' he continued, 'you are a suc- 
cessful business man. You have a justly earned reputa- 
tion as a keen investor. You can invest your money 
to much better advantage than the majority of business 
men. But your capital, or most of it, is at present tied 
up in industries which may or may not prove prosper- 
ous in years to come. The normal course in most busi- 
ness is growth and expansion followed by a decline and 
in many cases failure. If you should die or have a seri- 
ous breakdown — and these are possibilities you must 
contemplate — your genius for investing ceases. Your 
present investments may not prove so profitable in the 
future as they are now. If others had the investing of 
your money they might lose it and if they did your 
family would suffer. 

'"Now think of the future, say, of your daughter, 
under the circumstances. She might be compelled to 
live under conditions which, compared with her present 
position, would be comparative poverty. Deprived of 
the luxuries she is accustomed to, it would be doubly 
hard for her. You are entitled to take chances in your 
own business, but you ought not to make those depend- 
ent upon you share the risks which you as a business 
man incur. An annuity such as I have suggested would 
lift your daughter above any future possibility of 
want.' " 

The broker's ambition was to be looked up to as a 
successful business man (mastering instinct) and he 
loved his daughter (parental instinct). Jones aroused 
both these instincts. The first salesman did not arouse 






SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 133 

any instinctive action. When he tried to close he failed 
because he could not move the broker. Jones, on the 
other hand, aroused the broker, particularly by talk- 
ing about the daughter, and after that he had only the 
problem of directing his activity into the channel of 
signing the application blank. 

If the salesman would be successful he must arouse 
the prospect's feelings and emotions. To do so it is 
necessary for him to have an understanding of what 
they are. Six instincts have already been described. 
Four more are discussed in this lesson, as follows: 

7. Gregarious instinct. 

8. Mating instinct. 

9. Parental instinct. 
10. Social instinct. 

7. GREGARIOUSNESS 

"Man responds to the absence of human beings by 
discomfort, and to their presence by a positive satisfac- 
tion." 1 The essence of this instinct consists in the desire 
to be with others. The instinct is satisfied when one 
is in a crowd. 

Every Saturday night a friend of the writer's used to 
go over to 125th Street in New York City and wander 
up and down. Seldom did he buy anything and more 
seldom did he meet anyone he knew. But he enjoyed 
just being with the crowd. Recently he resigned a very 
good position with an exceptional opportunity for ad- 
vancement because it was too lonesome in the mining 
camp to which he was sent. The presence of this in- 
stinct is one of the causes of women leaving housework 

1 E. L. Thorndike, Educational Psychology, 191 3, vol. i, p. 85. 



i 3 4 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

and going into stores and factories. It is also one of 
the causes of young people leaving the farm and going 
to the city. We are restless and dissatisfied when 
separated from others, even though we have little or 
no real contact with them. 

James writes of this instinct as follows: "There is 
another sort of human play into which higher aesthetic 
feelings enter. I refer to that love of festivities, cere- 
monies, ordeals, etc., which seems to be universal in 
our species. The lowest savages have their dances, 
more or less formally conducted. The various religions 
have their solemn rites and exercises, and civic and 
military power symbolize their grandeur by proces- 
sions and celebrations of diverse sorts. We have our 
operas and parties and masquerades. An element com- 
mon to all these ceremonial games, as they may be 
called, is the excitement of concerted action as one 
of an organized crowd. The same acts, performed 
with a crowd, seem to mean vastly more than when 
performed alone. A walk with the people on a holi- 
day afternoon, an excursion to drink beer or coffee 
at a popular resort, or an ordinary ballroom, are 
examples of this. Not only are we amused at seeing 
so many strangers, but there ^is a distinct stimulation 
at feeling our share in their collective life. The per- 
ception of them is the stimulus and our reaction upon 
it is our tendency to join them and do what they are 
doing, and our unwillingness to be the first to leave 
off and go home alone." 1 

The book agent on commencing work in new territory 
obtains orders from a number of prominent citizens, 

1 William James, Psychology, 1893, vol. ii, p. 428. Henry Holt & Co, 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 135 

often at large discount, or secures testimonials from 
them. Armed with these indorsements, he knows he 
can sell much more easily. Why ? Because of man's 
instinct of submissiveness — willingness to follow a 
leader — and man's instinct of gregariousness — desire to 
do what others are doing. The Liberty Loan buttons 
made an appeal to this instinct. We did not like "to 
feel out of it," to know that we did not belong to the 
great crowd of people who wore buttons. Many of us 
did not wear the button, or not prominently in sight, 
but we did desire the satisfaction of knowing we were 
entitled to wear one. 

The arousal of this instinct is particularly useful 
when a salesman sells insurance to a group where each 
individual in the group must give his assent. If each 
enlisted man in a company, as in the late war, is given 
the idea that "everybody is doing it," the task of sell- 
ing is tremendously simplified. One salesman has made 
a practice for several years of selling insurance to the 
president of a graduating class and through his aid 
bringing the entire class together at a banquet paid for 
by the salesman. At this banquet he sells the remain- 
der of the class, building his whole campaign upon this 
instinctive tendency of men to be together and to act 
in common, plus some aid from the leadership of their 
class president. 

8. SEX INSTINCT 

It is scarcely necessary in a course of this sort to 
attempt a description of the sex, or mating, instinct. 
We are all familiar with the everyday illustrations of 
how men respond toward women and how women re- 



136 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

spond toward men. And we are all sufficiently con- 
scious of the fact that success in our advance toward 
the chosen one of the opposite sex gives us tremen- 
dous satisfaction and failure brings most pronounced 
wretchedness. 

Because of the great strength of the sex instinct, it 
intensifies all our activities. Recruiting campaigns 
made great use of pictures of attractive women, or even 
the women themselves, to intensify the fighting instinct 
so that men would volunteer. One young woman did 
a "land office" business by kissing each recruit. Cold- 
bloodedly this seems most ridiculous — that men should 
volunteer for the sake of a kiss — but the fact remains 
that they did. The thought of a sweetheart nerved 
many a soldier to deeds of bravery that perhaps never 
would have been done otherwise. 

The sex instinct leads one to do almost anything for 
the sake of the beloved. In this way ownership of 
property — a house, furniture, etc. — becomes suddenly 
an engaging topic of conversation. Because the woman 
shows an interest in music, art, or poetry, the young 
man also becomes interested. The interest may not be 
great, sometimes, but certainly it becomes greater than 
it would otherwise become. Interest in religious values 
arises at the same period of life with growing interest 
in the opposite sex, and without doubt there is a close 
connection between the two. Together with sudden 
interest in neckties or washing one's ears comes an in- 
crease in attentiveness to many moral traits, such as 
patience, tenderness, and courtesy, for all these are seen 
to have value in the woman's eyes. 

Advertisers use this intensifying effect of the sex in- 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 137 

stinct upon other activities in order to sell their goods. 
Several years ago an electric light and power company- 
advertised extensively to women the advantage of 
vacuum cleaners. They urged their purchase on the 
basis of saving labor, cleanliness, health. Few were 
sold, however. Later they launched a campaign in 
which they addressed men, not women. One adver- 
tisement showed the husband at his office with every 
modern appliance at hand and the wife at home with 
none. The copy breathed the idea — equip your wife's 
office with labor-saving devices as you do your own. 
Other advertisements of a similar nature were run. And 
they sold the entire stock of vacuum cleaners. Why? 
Because men loved their wives. And when this love 
was coupled with the idea of buying a labor-saving de- 
vice for the loved one, the mating instinct activated 
the performance. 

The writer is quite convinced that there are two as- 
pects to this instinct which are both native — namely, 
a physical aspect and a psychical one. Practically 
speaking, there is no question as to the presence of both 
these aspects, even if the psychical aspect has been de- 
veloped through social contact. In other words, man's 
sex instinct is much broader and more complex than the 
mere satisfaction of sexual intercourse. It involves 
mental relations between individuals of the opposite 
sex who are in love. Courting and the everyday life of 
husband and wife represent this psychical aspect. And 
it is only when the psychical aspect is aroused that man 
becomes interested in protecting and pleasing woman. 
Many advertisers have not yet discovered this fact, 
judging from their advertisements. When they picture 



138 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

a woman so as to arouse the baser phases of the in- 
stinct, they seldom are able to utilize the aroused ac- 
tivity in activating the sale of their goods. The sole 
reaction to the advertisement is to the picture of the 
woman. Only pictures of women that arouse the appre- 
ciative sides of the mating instinct, such as make a man 
interested in pleasing or helping or guarding his wife — 
only such pictures can make a man want to buy the 
commodity for her. 

In appealing to a husband to buy insurance for 
his wife, the noblest side of the mating instinct 
must be utilized. Note in the following extract 
from a sales interview how very skillfully the sales- 
man develops and calls to mind the protecting side 
of the sex instinct. 

"A life insurance policy ought to provide three 
things, Mr. Burton. First, it should provide an income 
to the family if a man dies prematurely. Note that I 
say an income. It is not enough to provide a sum of 
money. When a woman gets a sum of money her 
troubles have just begun. She has new and untried 
burdens. How is she going to invest the money and 
keep it invested the balance of her life so as to get the 
best income from it and yet not lose any of her princi- 
pal ? The thing to do is for the man to take care of the 
investing for his wife while he is here. My company 
simplifies the whole proposition by writing a contract 
to pay a stated monthly income for life. Bills come in 
monthly and that's the way a wife should have her 
money coming in. It is wonderful what a comfort a 
monthly check is to the wife who is deprived of her hus- 
band's help in matters of business. No worry about 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 139 

the safety of the money or the payment of the interest. 
At a given time each month the check comes, just as if 
the husband and father were in another city mailing a 
check each month, just as he used to do when the family 
went away for a vacation. Suppose you were going 
away to-morrow to be gone six months, Mr. Burton. 
You would probably arrange with your office to make 
a certain deposit every month in your wife's bank ac- 
count; at any rate, you would make some arrangement 
so she would have the money every month for running 
expenses. This is the same proposition. You merely 
arrange with our office to send Mrs. Burton a check 
every month as long as she lives, after you have started 
on what Charles Frohman called 'the great adventure,' 
when he was sinking on the Lusitania. Isn't that really 
a wonderful arrangement and a great comfort for a 
woman ? " 

Read this extract from a sales interview over several 
times. Note how easy it would be to develop the main 
idea of steady income without arousing at all the hus- 
band's love for his wife. The argument is an integral 
part of the sales interview, but it alone would sell 
mighty little insurance. The arousal of the mating in- 
stinct is of more importance because through it the 
prospect is being stimulated to action, to the desire to 
do something for his wife. 

This activating of an argument by the appeal to a 
strong interest is called motivation. We shall discuss the 
subject a little later. Be on the watch to discover ex- 
amples. Advertisements frequently illustrate the 
process wonderfully well. When next you are gripped 
by a speaker, try to note how he has played upon your 



i 4 o THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

instincts in arousing you. The true sales interview 
will contain (i) an argument running on the surface, 
and (2) an appeal to interests which are not so appar- 
ent, but affect the prospect even more than the 
reasoning. 

In appealing to women in terms of the sex instinct, 
it should be appreciated that the psychical aspect of 
the instinct plays the more important role as compared 
with the physical aspect, much more so than in the case 
of man. And still further, we can almost say that in 
her case there are not only these two aspects, but also 
a third — the parental instinct — which is involved. In 
other words, in the case of a woman, and particularly 
a mother, the sex and parental instincts become so 
intertwined that they operate pretty much as one 
instinct. For example, a woman in love "mothers" 
her lover if given an opportunity, as when he is hurt 
or sick or disheartened, in a way that he can hardly 
reciprocate. 

A slight digression is in order here. If life insurance 
salesmen expect to utilize the psychical aspects of the 
sex instinct (and the physical aspect is of no use in 
motivating the buying of insurance), they must experi- 
ence it themselves. The more thoroughly they love a 
woman on the higher plane, the better they can moti- 
vate others in terms of their own experience. 

9. PARENTAL INSTINCT 

The parental instinct is called "maternal" by Thorn- 
dike, who thereby emphasizes the greater strength of this 
instinct in women than in men. He describes it as fol- 
lows: "The first, and all in all the greatest, social bond 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 141 

and condition is the original behavior of mother to 
young. All women possess originally, from early child- 
hood to death, some interest in human babies, and a 
responsiveness to the instinctive looks, calls, gestures, 
and cries of infancy and childhood, being satisfied by 
childish gurglings, smiles, and affectionate gestures, 
and moved to instinctive comforting acts by childish 
signs of pain, grief, and misery. Brutal habits 
may destroy, or competing habits overgrow, or the 
lack of exercise weaken, these tendencies, but they 
are none the less as original as any fact in human 
nature. . . . 

"Boys and men share more in the instinctive good 
will toward children than traditional opinion would 
admit, though the tendencies are not so strong, and the 
responses are different. Very weak in the specific tend- 
encies to clasp and carry an infant (the proverbial dis- 
tress and awkwardness of the male when an infant is 
thrust into his arms, as contrasted with the typical 
woman's, 'Let me hold him/ is at bottom instinctive) 
and to fondle and prattle to it, and lacking also the 
special incitement of the tendency due to the inner 
changes of childbirth and lactation, they yet in their 
own way respond to many of its appeals. To offer a 
little child scraps of food and see it eat, to snatch it 
from peril by animals, and to smile approvingly at its 
more vigorous antics seem to me to be truly original 
tendencies of the human male." 1 

Much of what we ordinarily see in the behavior 
of parents, and particularly of fathers toward their 
children , is due to habit. Ordinarily the affection 

1 E. L. Thorndike, op. cit., p. 82. 



i 4 2 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

for one's own children is intense. But the number 
of divorces and desertions warn us of many who 
care little for their wives or offspring. The out- 
and-out instinctive side of parental affection is re- 
stricted pretty largely to care for helpless babies who 
show need for attention. 

The parental instinct, however, actually activates 
many phases of life. In women, in particular, nearly 
all suffering animals are reacted to in much the same 
manner as are babies. For a woman is truly uncom- 
fortable when a cat is held up by its tail, and she must 
stop the exhibition to ease her own suffering. From 
this instinctive behavior have grown our Societies for 
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and to Children 
and much of our legislation prohibiting child labor. In- 
ability to witness suffering without doing something is 
without question the basic reason for the development 
of hospitals, reformatories, orphan and insane asylums, 
the Red Cross, and much of the vigor shown in reforms, 
such as for prohibition, pure food, sanitation, and the 
like. 1 

Advertisers all realize, consciously or unconsciously, 
the extent to which the parental instinct in women 
motivates their conduct, for we see articles of all sorts 
dealing with the comfort of animals, the care and pro- 
tection of children, and the betterment of life, adver- 
tised directly to women and in terms of their motherly 
love. 

Extending the effect of the parental instinct in its 
care of suffering and helpless individuals still further, 
we see how largely it is the basis of our social order. 

1 W. McDougall, Social Psychology , 191 8, chap. x. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 143 

Justice and law result when a woman can't stand the 
situation any longer and a man gets angry and starts 
righting. Many a business man has started a crusade 
because of his wife's interest in the matter. Once it 
becomes a fight, however, the man becomes really in- 
terested and may carry on the reform far beyond the 
point in which the woman is instinctively interested. 

Review here the sales interviews between Bagley and 
Barnes and between Harrington .and Alderson and note 
how the love of the father for his children was utilized 
by both salesmen to motivate the buying of insurance. 

Filial affection. Most writers are agreed that there 
is no instinct which leads an individual to love and to 
take care of his parents in the way that the parental 
instinct forces parents to provide for their children. 
The love of a child for its parents develops without 
doubt because of the existence of sex and parental in- 
stincts. Just as a woman will look after a sick cat, so 
a child will come to love its mother and for much the 
same original cause. The parent who is all-sufficient 
does not awaken the love that one does who affords 
opportunity for mothering attention from his or her 
children. 

10. SOCIAL INSTINCT 

Most writers have not talked of a social instinct ex- 
cept in the sense of the gregarious instinct. Wood- 
worth has just recently argued at length that there 
is an impulse "to act together, as well as to be 
together." 1 Children, he writes, are not satisfied 
"by each doing something on his own account hi 

1 R, $. Wood worth, Dynamic Psychology, 191 8, p. 197. 



144 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

the mere presence of other children. Their demand 
is to play together, to engage in some sort of group 
activity. Group activity in which they engage has 
no ulterior motive — such as the fear motive or the 
economic motive — but it is interesting to the partici- 
pants for its own sake. This behavior of children is 
typical of society in general. ,, 

The interest shown in any gathering of men engaged 
in the same line of work, as that of the Life Underwrit- 
ers' Association, is due to a considerable extent to this 
instinct — the desire to be together and work together. 

Herein is the basis {ox friendship — one of the most 
valuable modes of behavior man has. Friends are indi- 
viduals who do not react toward one another as leaders 
or followers or rivals. They are equals and mutually 
interested in one or more activities. 

Careful study of what situations lead men to act to- 
gether and just how they do it will repay the salesman 
who is interested in selling insurance to individuals. 
For when he is able to draw such individuals together 
into groups, he will often sell the group with little more 
trouble than he would have in selling two or three of the 
individuals separately. 

READINESS AND UNREADINESS TO ACT 

One other characteristic, common to all instincts, 
should be noted. It is of value in understanding them 
more fully, but is brought in here primarily because it 
helps very greatly in understanding our own and others' 
restlessness, general dissatisfaction and unrest. Usually 
our instincts are ready to function if the proper situation 
is encountered. Probably they will always do so where 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 145 

the situation is complete in the broad sense of appro- 
priate external stimulus and favorable inward condition 
of the organism. But the external stimulus is not 
always enough in itself to arouse action. A young girl 
deeply in love is not interested by another man than 
her sweetheart, no matter how handsome. Bodily ex- 
haustion so affects the fighting instinct that a starving 
man will endure insults that would inflame him when 
well. We must not assume that because an individual 
possesses instincts he is always ready to respond to 
every situation that ordinarily arouses them. Other 
factors of which we are ignorant may have an inhibiting 
force. 

Readiness and satisfaction are clearly related. 
Four combinations are possible. (1) If one is ready, 
for example, to eat and does eat he obtains satisfac- 
tion; (2) if one is ready to eat and is prevented from 
eating he becomes restless, irritable, and dissatisfied; 
(3) if one is not ready to eat and is forced to eat he is 
definitely dissatisfied with the meal and the person 
forcing the eating; and (4) if one is not ready to eat 
and is not made to eat he is satisfied. In another form 
we may state the four combinations in this way: 

1. Instinct ready Action follows Satisfaction 
to act 

2. Instinct ready Action does not Dissatisfaction 
to act follow 

3. Instinct not Action forced Dissatisfaction 
ready to act 

4. Instinct not Action not forced Satisfaction 
ready to act 

Dissatisfaction is of two sorts. Under Case 2 we have 
a vague, general restlessness and irritation. Often we 



146 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

do not know the cause of our trouble. Wanderlust is one 
name for this sort of dissatisfaction, due to the non- 
functioning of the sex instinct. On the other hand, the 
dissatisfaction in Case 3 is specific and directed at some 
object or person. The young woman who is moody 
and generally dissatisfied with life is probably so be- 
cause of the nonfunctioning of the mating and parental 
instincts; the young woman, however, who violently 
explodes at her mother is doing so because the latter, for 
example, has asked her to wash the dishes. The ex- 
plosion may and generally does contain "bottled-up 
energy" due to Case 2 as well as Case 3. Much of the 
unrest of the world to-day is due to the inability of men 
and women to act as their instinctive natures urge. 
This fact has become so plain lately that it does not 
take a psychologist to prophesy that profound changes 
in our industrial organization must be accomplished so 
that the worker may not be deprived of so many of the 
satisfactions that come through the proper functioning 
of his instincts. 

ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON XII 

Go through this week's Saturday Evening Post and 
write on the margin of the last twenty-five full-page 
advertisements what instincts are utilized in arousing 
interest and desire for the commodity advertised. Some 
advertisements appeal to several instincts, some possi- 
bly to only one, and others to none at all. 

Note any advertisements which you think could be 
improved by the addition of some instinctive appeal. 
Just how would you accomplish this? 



LESSON XII. HOW TO UTILIZE INSTINCTIVE 
INTERESTS IN SELLING—MOTIVATION 

"We know what it is to get out of bed on a freezing 
morning in a room without a fire, and how the very 
vital principle within us protests against the ordeal. 
Probably most persons have lain on certain mornings 
for an hour at a time unable to brace themselves to the 
resolve. We think how late we shall be, how the duties 
of the day will suffer; we say, 'I must get up, this is 
ignominious,' etc.; but still the warm couch feels too 
delicious, the cold outside too cruel, and resolution faints 
away and postpones itself again and again just as it 
seemed on the verge of bursting the resistance and pass- 
ing over into the decisive act. ,,1 

While lying in bed it seems as though our mental 
mechanism was geared in neutral and that, although 
we could speed it up by thinking about getting up, the 
instant we tried to throw in the low gear our engine 
went dead. Getting a prospect to sign — actually to act 
— is analogous to this. His mental processes are really 
in neutral. You may have thrown on the gas and got 
him thinking in rosy-hued pictures of protection for 
his wife or of taking it easy in old age, but he makes 
no move toward bringing this about. And when you 
try to shift the gears he balks. How can you secure 
action ? 

In th e last few lessons we have seen that there 

1 William James, Psychology, 1890, vol. ii, p. 524. 
11 



•148 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

are certain things we will do far more readily than oth- 
ers. In the case of instincts, the nervous system is so 
geared up that as soon as a situation appears appealing 
to our instinctive nature the response will most likely 
follow. 

UTILIZATION OF INSTINCTIVE INTERESTS IN SELLING 

Action will, we have seen, almost certainly follow if 
a situation arousing an instinct is presented. The prob- 
lem of getting action reduces itself, then, to two steps: 
(i) What response do I want? and (2) What situation 
will produce that response ? 

The reader may agree to all this and still be puzzled. 
Buying insurance, he may think, is not an instinctive 
response. How then use instinctive interests in sell- 
ing? The answer is, through motivating the buying re- 
sponse with instinctive interests. 

Consider the case of selling vacuum cleaners referred 
to in Lesson XL The desired response was to get people 
to buy vacuum cleaners. The advertiser figured that 
a situation comprising elements of "saving labor," 
"cleanliness," "health," etc., would bring the desired 
response. It did sell some, but far from all. Then the 
advertising strategy was changed. The appeal was 
directed at husbands (not wives), and the cleaner was 
sold through the love of the husband for his wife. Dia- 
grammatically we have: 

Situations Responses 

i. Vacuum cleaner. a. ? 

a. Labor-saving device. 

b. Cleanliness. 

c. Health. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 



149 



Situations 

2. Supply wife with labor- 
saving devices such as 
you have in your own 
office. 

3. Fusion of 1 and 2. 



Responses 



b. Love for wife aroused, 
thoughts of her working 
hard. Desire to do 
something for her. 

c. Buy vacuum cleaner. 



Here, Situation 2 arouses the husband to a point where 
he wants to do something for his wife; then Situation 
1 is responded to as it suggests a definite thing to be 
done — i.e., buy a vacuum cleaner. 

We may look at this principle of motivation in this 
way. When I desire another to make a response he is 
not likely to make, I do two things: First, determine 
what situation will arouse him to activity, and second, 
plan out how this situation and my proposition can be 
presented to him. The former secures the general ac- 
tivity, while the latter directs the stirred-up activity 
into the desired channel. 

Possibly all this can be made clearer by an analogy. 
In Plate I is shown diagrammatically a switch engine 



f 



O 



* 



o 



c 



n n n n n ru fi 




—fs- 

Plate I. Diagram showing switch engine (A) pushing cars B and C ahead 
of it and car D on an adjoining track. Car D can be likened to the insurance 
proposition which when hitched up to the man's love for his wife is carried 
along by the force of the instinctive love. (Illustrating motivation.) 



ISO THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

(A) pushing two cars ahead of it. It is also pushing a 
third car (D) on an adjoining track. It does this through 
the use of a heavy stick which is wedged against the 
engine and extends diagonally across to the freight car 
on the adjoining track. In this way the switch engine 
moves cars on its own and an adjoining track. 

Now apply the switch-engine analogy to the hus- 
band's relation to his wife. The switch engine is carry- 
ing a load of freight cars right along without any effort. 
Many more cars could be attached and all would be 
pushed along just as easily. The husband is carrying 
a load and he also does it without any effort. For ex- 
ample, he supplies his wife with money which, as a 
bachelor, he would spend on himself; he goes to a 
musical instead of the club, etc. If he loves his wife 
such things are no more felt by him as loads than the 
freight cars are by the freight engine. And because of 
the strength of his love many more loads can be added 
to the husband, just as many more freight cars can be 
attached to the engine. 

But suppose a new load is proposed to him which is 
off the regular track — such as taking out insurance. 
He may not see why he should assume the expense at 
first. Convince him, however, that it is a necessary con- 
sequence of his love for his wife and you couple it with 
his customary activity. He picks up the new burden 
just as the engine picks up the car on the adjoining track. 

This process of coupling a desired activity with an 
instinct, so that the impetus of the instinct will start 
the activity favorably, is the process of motivation. 1 

1 Motivation as employed here is the process of developing a "sentiment" 
as that term is employed by McDougall (Social Psychology) and by W. H, 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 151 

Consider the International Correspondence School 
advertisement shown in Plate II. This advertisement 
is, of course, a special kind of sales interview, and the 
same general principles of selling — getting buying ac- 
tion — are followed here as are followed in actual selling 
by a salesman. 

The advertisement is easily divided into four parts: 

1. Picture. 

2. Heading. 

3. Copy. 

4. Coupon. 



R. Rivers (Instinct and the Unconscious, 1920, pp. 86-89) or a "complex" 
as used by B. Hart {Psychology of Insanity > t 1912). A sentiment is an idea 
to which one or more instinctive emotional tendencies have been attached, 
the whole finally operating as a psychological unit. Thus "home" or 
"country" are more than ideas, they are sentiments, for they arouse im- 
mediately our emotions. The salesman must convert "insurance" from an 
idea into a sentiment through motivation; he must force the prospect to 
think of insurance and feel the love for wife and children at the same time, 
thus enabling the two to become fused into one emotionally held idea of 
insuring one's family against anxiety and suffering. 

Motivation is similarly almost synonymous with the term "sublimation" 
as generally used. One difference between the two is that in the case of 
motivation an individual more or less deliberately endeavors to accomplish 
what in the case of sublimation takes place without direction by anyone. 

Students of this subject will find the following books interesting. They 
are arranged in about the order that one who has never studied psychology 
should read them. C. S. Parker, An American Idyll; W. Williams, What's 
on the Worker's Mind; I. Fisher, "Humanizing Industry," in Annals of the 
American Academy of Political and Social Science, March, 1919; O. Tead, 
Instincts in Industry; F. W. Taussig, Inventors and Money-Makers; B. Hart, 
Psychology of Insanity; H. Marot, Creative Impulse in Industry; E. D. 
Martin, Behavior of Crowds; W. Trotter, Instincts of the Herd in Peace and 
War; G. Wallas, The Great Society; M. Parmelee, The Science of Human 
Behavior; W. P. Pillsbury, Psychology of Nationality and Internationalism; 
A. G. Tansley, The Netv Psychology; E. L. Thorndike, Educational Psychol- 
ogy, vol. i; W. McDougall, Social Psychology; E. L. Wells, Mental Adjust- 
ments; W. H. R. Rivers, Instinct and the Unconscious; R. S. Woodworth, 
Dynamic Psychology. 



152 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Now how do these four parts affect a reader? 
Roughly we see that: 

1. The picture arouses "heart throb." The more 
we look at it (and we want to look at it) the more we 
think of home, of father and mother, of what they have 
done for us. All this affects particularly the young man 
away from home. 

2. The heading intensifies this heart throb and adds 
another element to it — i.e., thought of early ambitions 
on leaving home, survey of career, determination to 
make good. 

3 . The copy further intensifies all the emotional feel- 
ing and gradually directs the aroused activity toward 
a specific act. 

4. The coupon furnishes a specific outlet to all this 
aroused activity — i.e., to sign the coupon and mail it. 

Now consider in greater detail the role that each of 
the four parts plays: 

1. The picture appeals directly to our parental in- 
stinct (for love of parents is a modification of the in- 
stinct which makes us love our own children) ; also to 
some degree it appeals to our mastering and fighting 
instinct. And as the picture is studied, many of the 
most familiar and richest of our childhood memories 
come to mind. 

2. The heading directly arouses the mastering and 
fighting instincts and further intensifies the parental 
instinct. We are expected to make good by our parents 
and we determine to do so. 

3. The copy starts out by stimulating further all 
these instinctive activities and then gradually presents 




Make Your Mother Proud of You 



Your mother expected big things of you. She knew that you 
had character, determination and ambition. She looked for you to 
make a career for yourself. 

ARE you making good? ARE you getting ahead the way she \ 
wanted you to? ARE you realizing YOUR OWN ambitions and the \ 
hopes of your mother, sisters, sweetheart or wife ? 

Think it over! Is your future bright, or are you in a rut where j 
promotion is sears awav r i — — — — < 

R,sniv.nown,» t .r-,w" Make u» for i INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOLS 

lost time. You're never too old to It am. 
Find out how the international Correspond- 
ence Schools cars help you to realize your 
ambitions. 

Get Ahead More Quickly 

Success is merely a matter of training. 
To earn more, you must know more. (Jet 
the training that will qualify you for a better 
job. More than 1,000 men of ail ages and in 
all circumstances get better jobs every month 
as a result of I. C. S. training, in spare-hour 



SCRANT0N, PA. 



study. You can do the same. 

Get ahead more quickly. Fit yours 
the future that you prefer. Learn bow 
you can. fit yourself for a better salary , 

Mark the Coupon 




ily ! 



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k.,,!v,« Mail Clerk 

Show Card Htimu- 




















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PLATE II. ILLUSTRATING THE PROCESS OF MOTIVATION 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 153 

a way in which all this activity may be worked out in 
a satisfactory manner. 

4. The coupon makes it extremely easy for us to make 
the first step in the desired direction. 

Expressing all this again in still another way we have : 

1. Explosion of a bomb through the incitement of a pic- 
ture — arousal of reader's instincts. The picture and 
heading stir him to activity. 

2. "Tunneling" of as much activity as possible into 
the desired channel. The copy acts as a funnel catch- 
ing as much as possible of the aroused activity, and 
directs it to the coupon. In such an advertisement 
more activity is aroused than can be caught in the fun- 
nel. Some men will read the advertisement and be 
moved to go to a local high school, or to night school, 
or to college, or work harder in their business, or start 
saving, or stop gambling, or take a course in a com- 
peting correspondence school with which they are more 
familiar. But if a good "funnel" is utilized, the adver- 
tiser will obtain a large amount of business. 

3 . Making of desired action easy. The first step re- 
quires the minimum of effort. More individuals will 
respond properly when a coupon is used than otherwise. 

Diagrammatically we may express the motivation in 
this advertisement as follows: 

Situation Response 

I. Picture. a. Arousal of parental in- 

stinct and old interests. 

b. Continue to look at pic- 
ture. 

c. Read heading. 



1 54 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 



Situation 



2. Heading. 



I, 2, continued. 
3. Copy. 



I, 2, 3, continued. 

4. Coupon. 

5. Absence of other com- 
peting solutions 
to problem of how to 
make good. 



Response 

d. Arousal of mastering 
and fighting instincts 
and more old interests. 

e. Further arousal of Re- 
sponse a. 

f. Read copy. 

g. Further arousal of Re- 
sponse a and d. 

h. Thought of correspond- 
ence course. 
i. Read coupon. 

j. Activity aroused in Re- 
sponse a and d fused 
with Response h. 

k. Sign coupon. 



Two successful advertisements have been analyzed. 
The results show that a vacuum cleaner can be sold on 
the basis of a man's love for his wife and a correspond- 
ence course can be sold on the basis of a boy's love for 
his mother. Theoretically, any commodity or service 
can be sold on the basis of any instinct or very strong 
acquired interest. To do so, however, often requires 
creative planning in order to connect the two elements 
in the proper manner. A study of modern advertising 
will illustrate a surprising number of such combinations. 

A Faulty Outline. A very commonly accepted out- 




A Worthy Companion of 
The Allen Touring Car 

Resting on the same capable chassis of 
generous power 

Those who know the quickness, the very unusual hiU climbing 
ability and the dogged persistence of the new Alien engine are 
agreed that it is ideal for a sedan. 

A sedan body considerably outweighs a touring body, for 
which reason a power plant of just passable performance on a tour- 
ing model , is seriously deficient when it must pull the closed car load . 

The Ailcn Sedan gives exceptional service, because it is amply 
supplied with power by the Alien four cylinder engine, which watt 
Allen instant recognition as one of l<)2tt'x really great auto- 
mobiles of moderate size. 




«Wj, r 

The Alien Motor Company 

Columbus, Ohio, U. S, A. 



PLATE III. ILLUSTRATING AN ADVERTISEMENT WITH NO 
MOTIVATION 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 155 

line, enumerating the steps in advertising and selling, is 
the following: 

1. Favorable attention. 

2. Interest. 

3. Desire. 

4. Action. 

5. Permanent satisfaction. 1 

There is enough truth in this five-fold slogan to make it 
seem a very accurate statement of what are the essen- 
tial steps in a successful advertisement or sales inter- 
view. It has done, however, as much harm to the de- 
velopment of a science of selling as it has done good. 

In the case of the International Correspondence 
School advertisement we have attention, interest, de- 
sire, and action aroused simultaneously in the picture, 
still further intensified in the heading and first few sen- 
tences of the copy, and then "funneled" into one par- 
ticular act by the remaining copy and coupon. To 
attempt to lead a prospect successively through these 
five steps is unnecessary and a waste of time. Some- 
times, it is true, this actually happens. But the ideal 
should be to arouse action as soon as possible, and when 
the prospect is "active" to direct him to the desired 
act. 

Consideration of a Third Advertisement. The Allen 
automobile advertisement (Plate III) accomplishes 
practically none of the ends illustrated by the Inter- 
national Correspondence School advertisement. In 
both cases there is a picture, heading, and copy. But 
whereas in the case of the correspondence school the 
picture arouses "heart throb," the heading intensifies 
1 A. F. Sheldon, The An of Selling, 191 1, p. 28. 



1 56 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

this, and the copy "funnels" the activity to the desired 
response of signing the coupon, the picture in the Allen 
advertisement merely shows the auto, the heading sim- 
ply gives the name with a general idea attached, and 
the copy describes certain features of the car. No one 
is sold here the idea of owning a car, or of getting a new 
one, and there is very little or no feeling aroused that 
''this is the car I have been looking for." 

This advertisement is inserted here to emphasize the 
enormous difference that exists to-day between psycho- 
logically complete and incomplete advertisements even 
when we find advertisers willing to pay #7,000 for one 
insertion in a magazine. The difference between sound 
and unsound selling is equally as pronounced. 

SUMMARY 

In the International Correspondence School adver- 
tisement are exemplified the elements essential to a 
sale. A situation (the picture) is presented which at 
the same time interests the prospect and arouses in- 
stinctive behavior. A good share of the remainder of 
the advertisement (heading and first part of the copy) 
intensifies this appeal. The rest of the advertisement 
funnels this activity to the desired act — signing the 
coupon. And finally the act itself is made as easy as 
possible. 

ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON XIII 

Prepare an advertisement for the Allen automobile 
that will be properly motivated so that readers will be 



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The Willvs-Overland Gmpany, Toledo, Ohio 


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SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 157 

gripped when they see the advertisement and will be 
really aroused to a desire to own it. You are permitted 
to draw somewhat on your imagination as to details 
concerning the car, if you need to present details in 
your advertisement. What is wanted here is the gen- 
eral layout of the advertisement and only such details 
as are essential to your strategy. 



LESSON XIII. MOTIVATION 

The Willys-Overland Company advertisement shown 
in Plate IV is another advertisement which illustrates 
real selling. It arouses desire for a car and focuses 
the desire upon the Overland. 

This advertisement also has four parts, although the 
fourth is not so prominently displayed as in the Inter- 
national Correspondence School advertisement. These 
are: 

1. The picture. 

2. The heading. 

3. Copy (a) Intensifying the picture and heading. 

(b) Focusing attention upon the Over- 
land. 

4. Copy (c) Emphasizing need for immediate ac- 

tion. 

The advertisement appeals particularly to men, espe- 
cially fathers who do not own a car. It is not nearly so 
strong in its effect upon women, as is pointed out below. 
In consequence, the effect of the advertisement will be 
discussed in terms of its effect upon fathers. 

The picture (really two pictures) and the heading 
arouse the following instincts: 

1. Parental instinct — to take care of children and 
make them happy. 

2. Sex instinct — to make wife happy, and here 



SELLING LIFE .INSURANCE 159 

especially through enabling her to make her children 
happy. 

3. Fighting instinct — to struggle against things 
which interfere with happiness of wife and children; 
here against the idea of wife and children standing by 
and seeing another man's family enjoying something 
they can't have. 

4. Mastering instinct — to show off, here by owning 
a car and allowing family to use it; thus favorable at- 
tention will be secured, bringing satisfaction. 

5. Acquisition and possession. 

The total effect of arousing these instincts is to make 
a father dissatisfied with his lot. And the more he 
ponders over the picture and heading the more he 
realizes that only through purchasing an auto can the 
dissatisfaction be eliminated. The more he loves his 
wife and children the more dissatisfied he is — the more 
he wants a car. 

Thoroughly interested, then, he reads the copy. 
The first four paragraphs still further intensify the effect 
of the picture and heading. The remainder of the copy 
(except last six paragraphs) emphasizes that an Over- 
land is the car to buy because the wife can run it easily, 
etc., and the last six paragraphs strongly suggest the 
advantage of buying immediately. 

This advertisement, like all very good advertise- 
ments, sells other autos besides the Overland. Many 
a father after reading this advertisement will go out 
and buy a Ford; he will do so because he can't afford 
an Overland. And other fathers will buy other makes 
because of their greater familiarity or of the greater 
ease of buying due to local conditions. But more will 



160 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

buy Overlands than any other make. And each adver- 
tisement like this powerfully impresses the name "Over- 
land" upon the minds of the readers who are not ready 
to buy, so that when they do come to buy, they discover 
they prefer an Overland — preferring it very largely 
because of its greater familiarity and because it is con- 
nected in their minds with pleasing wife and children 
and bringing happiness to themselves. 

In other words, the "bomb" in this advertisement 
explodes an activity far too great to be all caught by 
any "funnel." Without a "funnel" the advertisement 
would sell autos, but not necessarily Overlands. The 
better the funnel the more Overlands will be sold. 
Here, again, we see that selling consists in arousing 
activity and diverting the activity into the right 
channel. 

Contrast this advertisement with the Allen adver- 
tisement of Lesson XII to see the difference between 
a psychologically sound and unsound sales interview on 
paper. 

When we apply Sheldon's five steps in selling to this 
advertisement, we see again how inaccurately the plan 
accounts for the processes actually at work here. In- 
terest and desire are aroused instantly. Instead of hve 
steps there are really only two in this case: 

1. Arousing interest and desire simultaneously. 

2. Directing aroused activity to purchase of Over- 
land. 

In passing, a word should be said as to the defect of 
this advertisement. A mother glancing at the picture 
puts herself more or less in the place of the woman in 
the advertisement. Immediately her response to the 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 161 

picture is unpleasant because she cannot conceive satis- 
faction and pleasure resulting from driving an auto 
with nine squirming, wriggling kids in it. And further, 
the thought flashes through her mind, "Does the ad- 
vertiser intend to imply that all these children belong 
to this woman?" Fewer children in the auto, with an- 
other woman in the back seat, would have made this 
a more effective advertisement, influencing strongly 
both men and women. As it is, it affects men strongly, 
but not women, because it appeals to men's instincts, 
not to those of women. 

OTHER EXAMPLES OF MOTIVATION 

Just before lunch the mother starts to wash the 
baby's hands. Instantly it is clear that there will be a 
storm before the hands are washed. "Baby doesn't 
want to." Quickly turning the subject, the mother 
calls attention to the baby's doll and then says, "Let's 
put dollie to sleep; it's time for her nap. Then we'll 
wash our hands." And the hands are washed without 
trouble. Here the suggestion of putting the doll to 
sleep aroused the baby's activity and a portion of this 
activity was used in leading the child to the bathroom. 
Moreover, the child's mind was diverted from "wash- 
ing hands" to "putting dollie to sleep." 

Hawkins 1 gives this good illustration of motivation 
in the field of retail selling. "A fop was being handled 
by an expert salesman of a fashionable tailor. The 
salesman knew this prospect always wanted to be 
notable as a leader in style. The salesman worked on 

*N. A. Hawkins, The Selling Process, 1918, pp. 231-235. 



i62 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

the emotion of pride in such a manner that the quality 
of pride was bettered. What he said was about like 
this: 

"'The fashions this winter will be plain. The lines 
of garments will be plain, and the goods subdued in 
pattern and colors. You want to dress in such a way, 
of course, as to suggest the sober conditions of war. A 
man will not be in fashion this winter if his wardrobe is 
in contrast with the country's feelings/ 

"The prospect took great pride in imagining himself 
as a leader of fashion in ' subdued * clothes. That pride 
was unworthy. But the salesman had lifted it and bet- 
tered it considerably by suggesting the nobler emotion 
of patriotism. The appeal was made to a wrong 
motive, but made in the right way. It was ethical, 
without doubt, to work on the buyer's predominant 
feelings in that manner. . . . 

"If the salesman had said, 'You are a patriot; there- 
fore you will buy these colors and patterns which ac- 
cord with the sober attitude of a people at war/ the 
prospect instantly would have tackled that statement 
with his mind, with suspicion and probably with re- 
sistance to the extent of opposition. He would not have 
wanted to be a patriot, but just a fashion plate. The 
emotion of patriotism was suggested only. The pros- 
pect found himself feeling patriotic. He swelled with 
pride in himself as a patriot, and bought the new outfit 
he desired now as a patriot. Therefore, in the instance 
cited the fop actually went about talking patriotism as 
exemplified in his clothes. So the salesman knew he 
had secured precisely the result he worked for when 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 163 

he performed the processes of persuasion and creating 
desire." 



MOTIVATING A LIFE-INSURANCE SALE INTERVIEW 

Refer again to the sales interview between Bagley 
and Barnes in Lesson I. Let us see how it exemplifies 
the points made in this and the preceding lesson. 

After introducing himself, Bagley says, "I believe 
you have a son" "Of course, he's not old enough to 
go to college yet, is he?" ("Son" arouses parental in- 
stinct; "college" arouses a very strong acquired in- 
terest.) Barnes replies with a laugh that the boy isn't 
old enough to go to college. His attitude and remarks 
prove conclusively that the situation put to him by 
Bagley has aroused his interest and activity. 

Bagley next discusses college education. After some 
conversation he links college education with life insur- 
ance. The combination is a new idea to Barnes. Being 
new, he can't react to it. It must be classified under 
some known heading, and so he must reply in some such 
way as, "I don't understand just what you mean." Bag- 
ley then proceeds to explain the plan. As he demon- 
strates his proposition he also continues to arouse 
Barnes's instinctive and acquired interests. Note these 
phrases as typical: 

"Educational policy insures your boy a college edu- 
cation." 

"Scale of living to which you have accustomed your 

family — hot sufficient income to support family, if you 

die, and send boy to college." 
12 



i6 4 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

"You would/^Z happier to know his college education 
was provided for." 

"A high-spirited boy would probably hesitate to 
allow his mother to send him to college if" it involved 
"sacrifice on his mother s part." 

"Working his way through college ... a distinct 
handicap; studies suffer, no matter how conscientious 
and industrious he may be" 

"About one father in five does not live long enough 
to see his boy through college." 

"Doctor Kellar — his boy no longer at Taft School . . . 
going to college will be a source of some embarrassment 
to him and to his mother/' 

"Your boy . . . benefit of college ... no sacrifice 
by mother . . . independent of anyone . . . college 
work will not suffer." 

"Is there anything else that would make him more 
appreciative of his father, anything else that would 
more surely tend to keep alive in his heart all his life a 
deep affection and high regard for the memory of his 
father? The fact that his father had the foresight and 
the sense of responsibility and the love for him to pro- 
vide for his college education would seem to him the 
most certain evidence of all that his father was the 
kind of father he had always believed him to be." 
(Direct appeal to parental and mastering instincts, also 
indirect appeal to desire for approval, which Bagley is 
implying will or will not be given him according as he 
buys or not.) 

Barnes's reply clearly shows he is responding to the 
situations as intended. He says, "That is a fine propcn 
sition, Mr. Bagley. I'm very much interested." 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 165 

Here, as in the case of the International Correspond- 
ence School and the Overland advertisements, a 
"bomb" has been exploded — Barnes has been aroused 
to activity by appeals to his instinctive and acquired 
interests, and the activity has been properly "fun- 
neled" to the desired end of buying insurance. Simul- 
taneously, from the very moment that Bagley said, 
"I believe you have a son" to the moment when 
Barnes signs the application, "interest" "desire" and 
"action" have each been developing and becoming more 
and more intense. 

But suppose Barnes had not loved his son particularly 
and was not interested in college education, would Bag- 
ley have exploded a bomb? Certainly not. The 
"bomb" here consisted of two forces — love of son and 
interest in college education. Bagley touched the fuses 
to these two stored activities and they did most of the 
work of selling. 

SUMMARY 

Recall the picture of the switch engine pushing two 
freight cars on its own track and also a car on an ad- 
joining track. Your insurance proposition is like the 
lone car. There is no motive force on that track to push 
it along. And because of the inherent nature of the 
proposition it is extremely difficult to develop life 
within it. But many a live interesting situation can be 
developed in the mind of the prospect that has force 
and energy, and that changes him into a moving active 
individual. Such situations are connected with his 
instinctive and acquired interests. Consequently, to 
get action (close the insurance proposition), couple it 



166 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

with what the prospect is interested in. Then it will 
move along through his mind easily and with interest. 
He will finally buy because he wants to. 

ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON XIV 

Prepare a quarter-page advertisement for your news- 
paper which will make men stop to read it and arouse 
within them a desire for insurance. 



LESSON XIV. MAN'S INSTINCTIVE BEHAVIOR 
TOWARD OBJECTS AND ANIMALS 

Toward objects and animals man instinctively re- 
acts in a radically different manner from the way in 
which he reacts to human beings. As we have already 
seen, in the latter case he desires notice and approval 
of himself and what he is doing! But an object or ani- 
mal, unless large, causes man to look at it, approach it, 
examine it with both eyes and hands, and manipulate 
it. Thus do we look over an auto, articles for sale, or 
objects in the woods. 

As previously pointed out in Lesson VIII, we instinc- 
tively enjoy looking at objects, listening to them, smell- 
ing, tasting, and feeling of them. And we enjoy moving 
our own body in play as a child, or in athletics, skating, 
dancing, etc., as adults. Most amusements are inter- 
esting because they provide new stimulations of our 
sense organs and cause bodily movements. We enjoy 
riding in an auto, sailing in a yacht, paddling a canoe, 
for these reasons. 

There are six rather definite instincts causing such 
behavior toward objects which deserve the attention 
of those who desire to influence others. They are dis- 
cussed primarily from that point of view. 

I. VISUAL EXPLORATION AND MANIPULATION 

Objects, particularly small ones or those in motion, 
cause man to look at them, approach them, and finally 



168 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

take them in the hand and manipulate them. The 
small child almost ceaselessly goes through this for- 
mula. A rattle affords a baby a world of amusement 
through its stimulations of eye, ear, and fingers. 
Each manipulation brings new stimulations in an 
almost unending series. The adult responds quite 
similarly. Watch yourself for a few minutes and see 
how many objects are uselessly fooled with. Smoking 
undoubtedly is attractive largely because it affords a 
chance to keep the mouth parts and fingers moving and 
to see things happen. Merchants must keep their goods 
behind glass cases to keep their customers from handling 
them. How many can refrain from handling a new ham- 
mer, or lock, or even nails when purchasing them in a 
hardware store? 

Salesmen carry samples for a number of reasons. 
But one of the chief reasons is to make an appeal to 
this instinctive desire to look at and handle small ob- 
jects. Because we want to do so, the salesman can 
easily divert us from our work and get our interest. 
But seldom can he sell us on the basis of mere manipu- 
lation. Often, as recorded in Lesson VI, continued 
manipulation interferes with making the further im- 
pression essential to a sale. It is much better after 
interest has been aroused to remove the sample beyond 
reach, so that the buyer's instinctive desire to manipu- 
late (now interfered with) may operate as a further 
incentive for buying. 

Note how Harrington utilized this instinct in keeping 
Alderson interested. He examined the Windsor chair, 
immediately causing Alderson to do likewise and to call 
to mind many interesting items about the chair. As a 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 169 

consequence Alderson forgot his regular work and failed 
to notice he was being interrupted. The coin was 
shown and removed from sight. Instinctively Aider- 
son noticed it. It was removed from sight because 
Harrington did not need it further and did not want 
it to interfere with his sales talk. The testimonial from 
Roosevelt had also to be examined as soon as shown, 
and later the outline of Harrington's plan as written out 
by him kept Alderson's eyes glued to the paper. Sel- 
dom will a prospect interrupt a salesman when he is 
engaged in writing or drawing. If the salesman ma- 
nipulates his pencil as he talks, the prospect will listen 
with little or no tendency to formulate objections or 
excuses. The manipulated pencil is too absorbing an 
object for him to do more than watch it. 

One can almost count on the fact that a prospect 
will look at a suddenly produced object if it is brought 
to his attention properly, regardless of what it is, and 
will have a tendency to take it in his hands and play 
with it. Even if he makes no move to do so, the tend- 
ency is there and the aroused activity may later rein- 
force the action of buying. 

2. ACQUISITION, POSSESSION, COLLECTING 

Thorndike 1 describes the simplest form of this in- 
stinct as follows: "To any not too large object which 
attracts attention and does not possess repelling or 
frightening features the original response is approach, 
or, if the child is within reaching distance, reaching, 
touching, and grasping. An object having been 
grasped, its possession may provoke the response of 

1 E. L. Thorndike, Educational Psychology, 1913, vol. i, p. 51 



i 7 o THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

putting it in the mouth, or of general manipulation, or 
both. The sight of another human being going for the 
object or busied with it strengthens the tendencies 
toward possession. To resistance the response is pull- 
ing and twisting the object and pushing away whoever 
or whatever is in touch with it. Failure to get nearer, 
when one has moved toward such an object of attention, 
and failure to grasp it when one reaches for it, provoke 
annoyance, more vigorous responses of the same sort 
as before, and the neural action which produces an 
emotion which is the primitive form of desire." 

"There is originally," in addition/' a blind tendency," 
says Thorndike, 1 "to take portable objects which 
attract attention, and carry them to one's habitation. 
There is the further response of satisfaction at con- 
templating and fingering them there. These tendencies 
commonly crystallize into habits of collecting and stor- 
ing certain sorts of objects whose possession has addi- 
tional advantages. . . . Thus, money, marbles, strings, 
shells, cigar tags, and picture postals become favorite 
objects by their power in exchange, convenience of car- 
riage, permanent attractiveness, and utility in play. 
But clear evidences of the original tendency may re- 
main, as in those who feel a craving to gather objects 
which they know will be a nuisance to them or who 
cannot bear to diminish hoards which serve no purpose 
save that of being a hoard. So of the man who stole 
utensils from his own kitchen to increase his hoard and 
bought substitutes!" 

From these simple forms of acquisition and owner- 
ship our complicated ideas of ownership develop 

1 £, L. Thorndike.. op. cit., p. 53. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 171 

through contact with the social customs of to-day. 
These are habits based upon fundamental instinctive 
responses and share with instinctive behavior its very 
strong tendency to action — action that absorbs our 
interest and satisfies us tremendously. Interference 
with our behavior along these lines arouses equally 
strong resentment. 

Contrast the annoyance felt by a householder at 
losing #100 in a business deal and at having his neigh- 
bor's chickens eat up some of his lettuce, or having a 
neighbor's dog kill one of his own chickens. One hun- 
dred dollars, which we do not see, arouses little instinc- 
tive interest, but lettuce and chickens are objects in 
which we are very consciously interested and the loss 
of which is long remembered. 

Another contrast of this sort may make the point 
still clearer to an insurance salesman. The average 
employee will show more enthusiasm over receiving a 
turkey from his employer at Christmas time than the 
announcement that the company has taken out #1,000 
of insurance payable to his wife at his death. Particu- 
larly is this true if the employee does not receive an 
insurance policy covering the transaction. Instinctively 
we enjoy objects we can manipulate or eat; we have 
no instinctive interest in abstract things or in service 
to be rendered a long time in the future. 

In influencing others, then, through appeals to ac- 
quisition and possession, we should emphasize not 
possession of big or abstract things like a lot or house, 
but rather small objects necessarily linked up with 
them, as trees on the property, the garden, and specifi- 
cally the separate objects in the garden, Old-age in- 



172 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

surance is a very general proposition, far removed from 
and having no relation to our instinctive life. But it 
can be made of instinctive interest through showing that 
this or that hobby, or collection, or group of objects can 
only be possessed in old age if one has sufficient income. 

3. EATING 

Man whole-heartedly enjoys eating. A considerable 
portion of his entire activity is devoted to providing 
eatables and disposing of them at the table. In order 
to eat man will exert himself tremendously. Picture 
the struggles of settlers lost in Death Valley to reach 
food and water. Think of the exertions of all of us that 
we may earn money for food, and not only food to keep 
body and soul together, but additional food simply and 
solely for the sake of enjoyment. 

The instinct of eating has been used from time imme- 
morial as an aid to selling. The meeting of salesman 
and buyer over the dining table is too familiar to need 
discussion. All of us can point to such occasions when 
the seemingly impossible was accomplished with sur- 
prising ease. Many a suburban tract has been sold 
through vivid picturing of fresh milk, eggs, and veg- 
etables to be raised by the owner himself. And many 
an appeal to a prospect to protect his family or take 
provision for his old age may be intensified by making 
him feel the difference between boiled tripe and a well- 
broiled porterhouse steak. 

4. AVOIDANCE AND REPULSION 

"Bitter and oily things in the mouth, slimy, wrig- 
gling, and creeping things on one's flesh, the sight and 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 173 

smell of putrid flesh, excrement, and entrails" are typi- 
cal situations, according to Thorndike, 1 that arouse 
instinctive responses of "spitting out and retching, 
jumping back or shrinking or shuddering, and turning 
away," coupled with feelings of disgust. 

Several years ago serious efforts were made to induce 
the citizens of a city in the United States to extend its 
sewer system and to eliminate privies. The campaign 
failed, although statistics were prominently displayed 
showing the abnormal death rate in the city, and state- 
ments were made explaining the relationship of the un- 
sanitary conditions of the city to the excessive sickness 
and death rate. 

The following year several thousand children in that 
city were given a very careful physical examination 
and each mother was supplied with a statement of 
the result. As part of the examination the feces of 
the child were examined. On the basis of this ex- 
amination it was proved unmistakably that many 
of these children had eaten food contaminated with 
human feces. A simple statement of this fact on the 
report card going to the mother, coupled with the 
suggestion that flies had come from a near-by privy 
to the dining table, resulted in action being taken by 
the city almost immediately. 

The first campaign failed because it aroused no in- 
stinctive desire for reform and no action. The second 
campaign aroused the avoidance and repulsion in- 
stinct, and most excited and determined activity fol- 
lowed immediately. 

Cons idering the analogy of a telephone system, 

1 E. L. Thorndike, op. cit., p. 54. 



174 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

the only way in the world to get your friend on the 
phone is to take down the receiver and give his phone 
number — a very easy and simple matter. No amount 
of "lambasting" the phone, or "cussing" it, or "ha- 
ranguing" the operator gets your friend to the phone. 
A human being can be aroused to activity in many more 
ways than a telephone system. But not every method 
will work. A vast amount of money and energy 
directed toward arousing us to eliminate unhealthy 
conditions and impure food may not bring the voters 
to the polls But tell a woman her children are eating 
food contaminated from a privy or that the cake she 
eats is made from rotten eggs with the maggots sieved 
out, as McCann did in New York City, and something 
happens. 

Viewing this instinct in the light of insurance, it 
would seem of most use in the field of the endowment 
policy or of sickness benefit. In both of these cases the 
salesman is apt to lay stress on the comfort it would be 
to be assured of proper care in old age or in illness. 
But it must be realized that when a man is young and 
well such an appeal makes little impression. Accord- 
ingly, it is frequently helpful to convert the appeal 
into an incitement directed toward the avoidance and 
repulsion instinct. Thus, a contrast may be drawn 
between the possibility of going to Arizona and being 
cured of tuberculosis and the necessity of staying in an 
unfavorable climate and of constantly suffering from 
horrible hemorrhages. Or a case may be cited of the 
disgusting nausea resulting from a stomach tumor and 
of the relief in being able to afford an operation. Al- 
ways in such a sales talk, however, care must be taken 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 175 

not to be too unpleasant, or the prospect's entire atti- 
tude may become unfavorable. 



5. FOOD-GETTING, HUNTING 

Man instinctively loves to pursue small escaping ob- 
jects, to catch them, and to dismember them. Thorn- 
dike 1 aptly explains how this instinct, very necessary 
to man when in the savage state, becomes twisted 
and warped under civilized conditions. He says: "The 
presence of this tendency in man's nature under the 
conditions of civilized life gets him little food and much 
trouble. There being no wild animals to pursue, catch, 
and torment into submission or death, household pets, 
young and timid children, or even aunts, governesses, 
or nursemaids, if sufficiently yielding, provoke the re- 
sponses from the young. The older indulge the pro- 
pensity at great cost of time and money in hunting 
beasts, or at still greater cost of mankind in hounding 
Quakers, abolitionists, Jews, Chinamen, scabs, proph- 
ets, or suffragettes of the nonmilitant variety. Teasing, 
bullying, cruelty, are thus in part the results of one of 
nature's means of providing self and family with food; 
and what grew up as a pillar of human self-support 
has become so extravagant a luxury as to be almost 
a vice." 

There are few men who have never hunted or 
fished, and there are fewer still who are not in- 
tensely interested in stories of such experiences, par- 
ticularly if opportunity is given them to swap yarns 
with you. 
1 E, L, Thomdike, op. cit., p. 53, 



176 ■ THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

In selling insurance this instinct can be of little use 
in arousing desire or action for your proposition. Pos- 
sibly, however, some salesman will discover a method 
not now known for its use in this respect. But it can 
be utilized in getting acquainted with a prospect or in 
interesting him at the commencement of the sales inter- 
view. And it can be used very effectively by a sales 
manager in "gingering-up" a sales force by offering as 
prizes for effective selling the use of hunting lodges dur- 
ing the autumn or membership in some fishing or hunt- 
ing club. 

6. CURIOSITY 

To certain objects man responds by paying attention 
to them and usually by approaching them. If an 
object appears harmless, man approaches still closer, 
finally picking it up, if it is small enough, and turn- 
ing it over and over. In such cases the instinctive 
behavior becomes that outlined under the heading 
of visual exploration and manipulation. The funda- 
mental basis of all such action seems to lie in the fact 
that man must have a steady stream of incoming im- 
pressions through his eyes, ears, and other sense organs. 
Hence, when he ceases to pay attention to one object 
he naturally commences paying attention to another. 

The difficulty in describing this instinct is simply the 
difficulty of describing the situations which arouse it. 
Popular opinion to the contrary, man is far from being 
curious about most objects and processes that might 
stimulate him. My small children, for example, never 
naturally exhibited any curiosity as to how a phono- 
graph or telephone or street car worked or as to how 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 177 

an airplane could stay up in the air. Nor were they 
naturally interested in birds (aside from a few of their 
activities seen from the window) or in trees or plants 
(aside from picking certain brilliantly colored flowers). 
Quite clearly they must be taught to be interested in 
such things if they are ever to be so. The average man 
on a walk sees practically none of the birds in sight, 
barring crows, nor the varieties of trees and plants, nor 
geological formations. What he sees is almost entirely 
restricted to what he has already encountered in life. 
But, on the other hand, man does notice and is curious 
in regard to moving objects and what other people are 
doing. So a small child watches dogs and horses and 
squirrels and the father reading a newspaper or tending 
the furnace and the mother making biscuits or washing 
the dishes. 

McDougall 1 states that "the native excitant of the 
instinct would seem to be any object similar to, yet 
perceptibly different from familiar objects habitually 
noticed." And he goes on to point out that "it is not 
easy to distinguish in general terms between the ex- 
citants of curiosity and those of fear; for we have seen 
that one of the most general excitants of fear is what- 
ever is strange or unfamiliar. The difference seems to 
be mainly one of degree, a smaller element of the strange 
or unusual exciting curiosity, while a larger and more 
pronounced degree of it excites fear." "Who," he adds, 
"has not seen a horse alternately approach in curiosity 
and flee in fear from some object as an old coat upon 
the ground?" 

The writer's advice to practical salesmen is to forget 

1 W. McDougall, Social Psychology , 191 8, pp. 59-61. 



178 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

all about this instinct. If it is relied upon, one will ex- 
pect curiosity far more often than one will get it. Con- 
sequently make use of the other instinctive interests 
and also of acquired interests as discussed in the next 
two lessons. 

TWO ADDITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BEHAVIOR 

Two additional characteristics of behavior should be 
noted. 

Fatigue and Inertia. All become tired, and are rested 
after sleep. This weariness is the characteristic known 
as "fatigue." A somewhat similar characteristic is 
that of "inertia" — that is, a certain amount of 
energy must be exerted before a muscle will move. 
If a prospect is resting quietly in his chair, a cer- 
tain discharge of energy is required before his muscles 
will move. If he is fatigued, still greater effort will 
be required. Because of this fact, it is well to stir the 
prospect up to moving about before asking him to 
sign, as it is physically easier for him to write his 
name when he is active than when he is inactive. 

Individual Differences. Although all men have the 
instincts described above, they probably do not have 
them in the same degree. In some men the fighting or 
sex or parental instincts are much stronger than in other 
men. Or at least, casual inspection would suggest this 
view. There are no data on this subject to-day. But 
a great mass of data has been secured relative to how 
individuals differ with respect to intelligence, or men- 
tal alertness. In these respects men range all the way 
from idiots to geniuses. In Plate V is shown a diagram- 
matic expression of the distribution of these differences. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 179 

"In the middle are the great bulk (fifty per cent) of 
human beings — average human beings. As we proceed 
to the left, we have individuals slightly below the aver- 
age; "dull" persons; morons with intelligence approxi- 
mately equal to children from about eight to ten years; 



Idiot Imbe- Moron Dull Below Average Above Local Talent- Bril- State 
cile Average Average Leaders ed liant and 

National 
Leaders 

Plate V. A normal surface of distribution divided into twelve groups 
showing eleven degrees of general intelligence (the two middle groups are 
together considered as typical of average intelligence). 

Note. — In this diagram the surface is so divided that the intervals 
along the base line are equal. In other words, the differences in general 
intelligence between any two groups are equal. The areas so marked off 
are not equal. Fifty per cent of the entire 100,000,000 population of the 
United States would be placed in the two middle areas designated "aver- 
age." On the other hand, about 2 per cent of the population would be in- 
cluded in the last three groups at the left. 

imbeciles with intelligence of from two to eight years; 
and idiots with intelligence of that at birth to two 
years. The remaining one-thousandth of one per cent of 
the inferior population can possibly be thought of as 
being too inferior to live, and so constitute a fraction of 
those who are born dead. In the same way we may 
divide our superior individuals proceeding from the 
middle group out toward the right. Apparently, we 

10 



180 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

have no terms to cover these superior individuals, so 
that the expressions used here have no standard mean- 
ing. To the right of the group entitled "National 
Leaders," comprising 29,000 in a population of 100,- 
000,000, are still 1,000 individuals not to be overlooked. 
They comprise our most valuable men, our geniuses, 
etc." 1 

The implication of this is that people do not divide 
into sharply defined groups, as bright and dull, brave 
and cowardly, honest and dishonest, religious and 
atheistic, tall and short, and the like. Most of them 
are very much alike in the main, merely differing from 
the average in greater or less degree. 

This same conclusion applies not only to general in- 
telligence, but also to more specialized capacities, such 
as mathematics, music, painting, tool making, and the 
like. The majority of us, if given training in these re- 
spects, would become fairly good in all such specialized 
capacities. A few would become very skilled, and a few 
others would learn little at all. 

The salesman should expect differences in indi- 
viduals. He will find great variations in intelli- 
gence, certainly. But in the writer's judgment he will 
discover no such extreme divergence with respect to 
instincts. These are fundamentally common to all 
men, though the different instincts probably vary 
somewhat in degree of strength. 

One other point is very important. Psychological 
tests given to approximately two million men in the 
army showed that the average man did about as well 
as an average fourteen-year-old school child, and that 

1 From the author's Introductory Psychology for Teacfiers, 1919, p. 132. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 181 

he had not finished the seventh grade in school. On 
the basis of these tests — and they were so numerous 
as to be fairly representative — one-half of the men in 
the United States are thus of fourteen-year-old intel- 
ligence or less, and of an education limited by seventh- 
grade standards. Consequently, talking to a prospect 
in terms of his interests and in a way that he can under- 
stand may mean getting down pretty low in many 
cases. 1 



ASSIGNMENT TO BE PERFORMED BEFORE READING 
LESSON XV 

In Lessons VIII to XIV man's native interests have 
been considered. And in Lessons XII and XIII their 
use in selling has been illustrated and explained. 

In the case of Bagley and Barnes we noted the pres- 
ence of "college education" as an acquired interest. 
Let us now turn our attention to this subject of acquired 
interests. What are they ? Do they operate in the same 
way as native instincts? Do all men have the same 
acquired interests ? If not, how can a man's acquired 
interests be determined? 

Consider the acquired interest of driving or riding in 
an auto. This must have been acquired, since it is an 
activity very new to the race and hence cannot be 
native. Why do we enjoy an auto ? Because it affords 
us continued stimulation of the eye, skin, and body. 
We genuinely enjoy seeing new things; we enjoy a 

1 The median schooling for the native born of the white draft was found 
to be 6.9 — that is, almost through grade 7; for the foreign born of the white 
draft the median schooling was found to be 4.7; for the Northern negro 
draft, 4.9; for the Southern negro draft, 2.6, 



182 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

breeze blowing on us, except when we are cold; we 
enjoy movements of our muscles, except when we are 
fatigued. These are fundamental. The driver also 
enjoys manipulating the car. We all love to do things 
and see what happens. Because we enjoy these things, 
we desire to ride in any kind of a conveyance, be it 
wagon, bicycle, auto, railroad, airplane, boat, merry- 
go-round, scenic railway, etc. The auto, in addition, 
enables us to do many other things — to visit people 
and places more easily, to entertain others, etc. And it 
affords us opportunity to-day of receiving the approv- 
ing glances of our friends and neighbors. The bicycle 
no longer does this and so very few ride it, although a 
few years ago thousands used it for pleasure. Changes 
in social customs largely brought about by the intro- 
duction of the auto have taken from bicycle riding an 
important element. Will the airplane do the same to 
auto riding? 

In selling autos the psychologically sound procedure 
is to stimulate these instinctive causes for enjoying the 
auto as outlined here, and as illustrated in the Over- 
land advertisement. 

Make up a list now of fifty things you really enjoy 
doing. Do not include simple and instinctive interests, 
such as eating, witnessing a fight, etc. But list activi- 
ties you have learned to be interested in, such as reading 
novels, watching a baseball game, taking photographs, 
skating, going to the theater. 

Check over this list with some friend and determine 
to what extent your interests are common to him. 
(Such a study based on the results from five friends 
will yield much more than from only one friend.) 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 183 

Study carefully the interests which you find in com- 
mon with your friend as distinguished from those inter- 
ests that your friend does not share with you. Is the 
first group more or less closely related to your instinc- 
tive interests? 

List the interests among your fifty things that you 
enjoy that can be utilized in motivating the sale of life 
insurance, as interest in college education was employed 
by Bagley in selling Barnes, or the interest in trust com- 
panies was used by Harrington in selling Alderson. 



LESSON XV. ACQUIRED INTERESTS 

What motives can be utilized in selling insurance? 

The answer to this question is dependent upon an 
understanding of what it is that interests the prospect. 
For motives must always flow out of the buyer's con- 
victions and desires. In Lessons VIII to XIV man's 
native interests have been discussed. In this and the 
next lesson we shall concentrate upon the characteris- 
tics of acquired interests. We shall then be ready to 
tackle the problem as to what motives can be utilized 
in selling insurance. 

Native behavior, as we have seen, comprises reflexes, 
instincts, and emotions. These are not learned, but 
are common to the race. An acquired interest, on the 
other hand, is a habit. It has been learned during the 
lifetime of the individual. Or, in other words, a bond 
has been formed between a situation and a response, 
whereby when the situation appears the response will 
be made. But before the learning occurred the response 
would not have taken place. Thus, reading consists of 
thousands of habits whereby we respond to certain 
black marks on paper. 

One misconception must be cleared away at the start. 
To the popular mind a habit is a bad thing. Either it 
is immoral or it interferes with our efficiency by keep- 
ing us in a rut. The psychologist does not view habits 
in this light. They comprise all that we have learned. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 185 

Some may be useful or moral, others may be injurious 
or immoral. We all have thousands of them, pos- 
sibly millions of them. We get out of bed in the 
morning due to habit. We dress according to many 
habits, we tie our necktie, we go down to breakfast, 
we eat certain food and in a certain manner, due to 
many more habits. A man who suddenly lost all 
his accumulated store of habits would be as helpless 
as a babe. 

Three features of acquired interests need to be con- 
sidered: First, how familiar is the habit — i.e., is the 
bond between situation and response strong or weak? 
For if the bond is weak there is little guaranty that the 
response will follow when the situation is presented. 
Second, how intimately or remotely is the acquired 
interest related to instinctive interests? For example, 
boxing is intimately related to the fighting instinct, 
whereas debating is remotely related. In consequence, 
all men are interested in boxing, while only a few are 
interested in debating. Third, to what extent is the 
old acquired interest presented in a new way? Pipes 
and dogs are very familiar objects. They are so com- 
mon they ordinarily arouse little interest, yet they do 
arouse considerable interest if they are singled out. 
For example, let a salesman produce a pipe or dog and 
call attention to the object, and the prospect will show 
interest. However, if they are combined in a new way 
still greater interest is shown. The writer once met a 
man walking up Fifth Avenue in New York, followed 
by a large dog with an enormous meerschaum pipe in 
his mouth. He was advertising a new tobacco and he 
aroused enough interest to cause a traffic jam. The 



1 86 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

new combination of old interests could not but mo- 
nopolize any man's mind for a time. 

A situation based on an acquired interest grips us to 
the extent that it is familiar, is intimately connected with 
instincts, and contains a new combination of old familiar 
elements. Let us consider the three cases in detail. 



FAMILIAR THINGS ARE INTERESTING; UNFAMILIAR ARE 

NOT 

The popular notion is that interest is secured by pre- 
senting new objects and new ideas. This is not true. 
It is true that new combinations of old objects or ideas 
are interesting. We shall discuss this, our third point, 
later. But new or unfamiliar objects and ideas are not 
interesting, and we do not pay attention to them. 

To most men and women an automobile engine is a 
new and unfamiliar thing. Consider how little interest 
is shown in it by the average auto owner, how little he 
knows about it after a month's ownership. What are 
the most interesting items in a newspaper to you ? First 
of all, those items concerning you and your own activi- 
ties; second, those items concerning your friends, your 
club, your city; third, those items dealing with still 
more remote objects, places, and ideas; and least of 
all, items dealing with people, places, and ideas you 
know nothing about. If you have visited the White 
Mountains you prefer to see pictures of that country 
to pictures of grander scenery from the Sierras or Alps, 
and you prefer to recount your experiences in those 
mountains rather than to read of stories of adventure 
in Albania or Turkestan or the Ozarks, 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 187 

Allen Sangree reported in Ainslee's Magazine for 
February, I90i,the three rules used by Richard Harding 
Davis in his writing. Note how they bear on this point. 

"'In the first place/ says Davis, 'I use similes that 
the man at home can understand; secondly, I tell the 
thing as it impressed me when I first saw it; thirdly, I 
always tell the thing that most interests me/ 

"Carlyle could make a semicolon talk; Mr. Davis 
can put a battle in South Africa before the eyes of the 
Chicago reader in a sentence. In writing of the Tom- 
mies packed together on a kopje, he says they looked 
like 'a crowd on the bleacher boards at a baseball 
match/ and you can see them. It is a great temptation 
of writers of travel to show off — to tell how many 
countries they have visited. Mr. Davis avoids this. 
He does not say the Pyramids are higher than the 
Mosque of St. Sophia, but that they are 'one hundred 
feet higher than Madison Square tower.' He was writ- 
ing for a New York public, then, and could not feel sure 
that a majority of his readers had seen St. Sophia. The 
latter he describes as 'about as big as the auditorium 
of the Fifth Avenue Theater.' 

"In support of his rule to tell the thing as he first saw 
it, Davis goes on the theory that the reader is no more 
intelligent than he was when he landed in a town or 
country. He believes, what the intelligent person 
already knows, that after one has lived in a place for a 
while he becomes so much a part of it, so much involved 
in its politics and social life, that he is no longer an 
impartial observer. He begins to use the country's local 
phrases and writes as though for the local paper. He 
forgets that the business man in Denver and Buffalo is. 



188 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

not traveling along with him, instead of trying to get 
a vivid understanding of the country or battle from a 
distance of ten thousand miles. Davis always puts 
himself in the position of the man at home; and while 
other correspondents clog up their accounts with per- 
sonalities and localisms, he sticks to the first impression. 

"As to the third rule, Mr. Davis says it formed in his 
mind one night at a prize fight. It was the first one he 
had ever attended, and, while deeply fascinated with the 
tigerlike movements of the pugilists, the painful kiss of 
the five-ounce glove, and the spray of red blood, what in- 
terested him more was the conduct of the mayor. This 
city official sat near the ring and all present watched 
him; took their cue from him. The man's collar had 
lost its moorings behind, and, in consequence, all dig- 
nity. With each successive round it behaved more 
erratically, now moving up, now down, His Honor 
clutching madly at times to hold it in place, so that the 
collar fairly reflected the fight. Instead of describing 
the various upper cuts and straight jabs, therefore, 
Davis merely described the struggle 'twixt the mayor 
and his collar. 

"'This conviction to write what interests me/ said 
Mr. Davis, 'was strengthened on a visit to Mexico, 
where I was stranded in an out-of-the-way village and 
chanced to pick up a Harper s Magazine. The three 
important articles were one by Weeks on India, one by 
Child on South America, and one by Julian Ralph on 
Chicago. Well, the only one I read was the one on 
Chicago, and I asked myself why? "You don't know 
anything about South America or India," I said, "and, 
obviously, those are the places you should read about." 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 189 

I could get interested only, however, in the Chicago 
story. Gauging the average American by myself, I 
concluded that he would rather read about something 
he knows, something near home, and if China is not 
home, bring it here. 

"'If I go to the theater, I do not care to read what 
the critic thinks about other plays, but of the one I 
saw. If you tell a Londoner that in a certain part of 
Africa the natives bow backward, he is not half so much 
interested as when you tell him that people ride on Rot- 
ten Row at 9 a.m. instead of 4 p.m. "The devil they 
do," he says, and repeats the information to all his 
friends. When Mr. Kipling said that the British public 
was more interested in the fate of the Tommy who steps 
forward to pull a comrade back into the square than in 
the woes and trials of a commissary-general, he spoke 
from certain knowledge. The writer who has the gift 
of seeing a thing from the human-interest standpoint 
should depict it that way/" 

In commenting on this article the Literary Digest of 
April 29, 1916, adds that "in Mr. Davis's opinion this 
third rule was the best of all in newspaper work. Oth- 
ers have tried it with success, but probably none other 
has stretched it quite to the point that Mr. Davis at- 
tained when he cabled to the London Times a. long story 
of a big battle in Greece, telling how one small boy be- 
haved throughout the action. We are assured that — • 

"'His paper pronounced it the best story it had 
printed of that war. Not a word was said about flank 
movements, charges, or captures; nothing about the 
effect of artillery or infantry. But all England was 
interested, just as much as the American correspond- 



igo THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

ent, in the country lad who acted as a host to the army 
that occupied his native hills; who ran to bring up 
shells as though at a spring circus; who suavely led the 
generals about like a gentleman showing people over 
his landed estate.' " 

These rules of Davis's are concrete applications of 
what has just been stated here, as well as of several 
points to be made later in this lesson. We are interested 
in those things that are familiar to us, that we have 
learned to react to. Let us realize first of all, then, in 
this lesson that old familiar situation-bond-re spouse 
combinations that are ready to function will lead to satis- 
fying reactions — that such situations will secure interest. 

Learn to fill your sales talk with illustrations, figures 
of speech, and references that are very simple and 
familiar to your prospect. If you have had unusual 
experiences, forget them. They grip you, but do not 
interest your prospect. There is no better example of 
the use of simple familiar material to drive home one's 
points than is recorded in the four gospels in the New 
Testament. Consider this : 

"And the lawyer, willing to justify himself, said unto 
Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?' 

"And Jesus answering said: 'A certain man went 
down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, 
which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, 
and departed, leaving him half dead. 

"'And by chance there came down a certain priest 
that way; and when he saw him, he passed by on the 
other side. 

"'And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, 
came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 191 

"'But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came 
where he was; and when he saw him, he had compas- 
sion on him, 

"'And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pour- 
ing in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and 
brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 

"'And on the morrow when he departed, he took out 
two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto 
him, "Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spend- 
est more, when I come again, I will repay thee." 

"'Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was 
neighbor unto him that fell among thieves ?'" 

Jesus presented here in one hundred and eighty 
words a startlingly new idea to the people at that time. 
But he did it in such a way that this lawyer could not 
fail to get the point perfectly clearly. And there has 
never lived a man or woman above the grade of imbe- 
cile who has not also been able to see and feel what was 
meant. 

Read the parable through again and note that it is 
made up of a series of pen pictures. It is almost like a 
movie — one very simple and familiar scene after an- 
other. The connective "and" occurs nineteen times 
in the one hundred and eighty words, showing how 
simply each pen picture is connected with the next. 
The force of the parable depends upon the familiarity 
of the details, the simplicity of the language, and the 
instinctive basis of the idea. To be a neighbor is to be 
a father or mother to those in need — a redirection and 
expansion of the parental instinct, so that sick adults 
as well as crying babies will be reacted to by tender- 
ness and care. 



i 9 2 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Read the parable through once more. Note how a 
master hand motivated this lawyer and how through 
the written word millions of others have been motivated 
since that day by this very simple story. 



ACQUIRED INTERESTS ARE INTERESTING, DEPENDING 
ON HOW CLOSELY THEY ARE BASED ON INSTINCTS 

Very familiar habits are not always very interesting, 
despite what is said in the preceding section. This is 
especially true when they are not closely related to in- 
stincts. Adding columns of figures, tying neckties, and 
cooking may all be very uninteresting because of the 
monotony of the task. But if the figures represent 
profits and loss in business, the necktie is to be seen by 
your best girl, and the cooking is for a newly returned 
soldier-son, then these simple processes become in- 
tensely interesting. The extent to which they are 
motivated affects their interest to us. 

Most things we do every day are related to instincts, 
else we would not do them. In consequence, they are 
more or less interesting. We do not note how interest- 
ing they are until interfered with. Failure of the news- 
boy to deliver a morning paper, or of the milkman to 
leave cream for breakfast, or the like, is very annoying 
because of the loss of accustomed interesting details in 
our life. 

But there are many, many performances which we 
go through with very frequently and enjoy immensely. 
The reading of novels for some never grows stale; golf 
or tennis or bowling for others is a real event each time 
it is indulged in. Usually in this class are to be put 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 193 

details of a man's business. He finds more pleasure in 
discussing them than in most other things. 

If we would interest others, we must discover what 
they do every day and so determine their interests. So 
when Bagley discovered Barnes was deeply interested 
in the affairs of his Alma Mater and that he had a son, 
he planned his sales interview accordingly. Harring- 
ton, on the other hand, utilized quite other items to 
keep Alderson interested. He knew Alderson was a 
director of a trust company and therefore interested in 
such problems as the "safety of principal" and the 
"certainty of interest. " Also, that he had a collection 
of autographs of the Presidents of this country. In 
consequence, he opened up his sales interview by dis- 
cussing basic principles of trust companies. Later he 
produced a testimonial signed by Roosevelt. He had 
testimonials from Taft and Wilson also with him, but 
he used only the one from Roosevelt after having seen 
a photo of Roosevelt in Alderson's office. He could 
feel sure Alderson would be interested in Roosevelt's 
remarks, but not sure of his reaction to Taft and Wil- 
son. For the same reason, he seized upon the old comb- 
back Windsor chair as a topic of conversation once he 
discovered it in the office. 

Hobbies. Again and again in the literature on sell- 
ing and in lectures on the subject we find references to 
the fact that a man can be sold through his hobby when 
all other methods have failed. Whitehead records one 
such instance, as follows: 

"A salesman had on several occasions called without 
result on a prospective customer whose hobby was 
photography. During this period the salesman also 



i 9 4 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

became interested in this art. His first attempts in- 
cluded, as is usually the case, many poor pictures and 
some complete failures. On his next visit, instead of 
broaching the business side of his call, he adroitly 
steered the conversation around to photography. 'I 
understand, Mr. Sherman,' he said, 'that you are an 
expert photographer. I bought a camera a few weeks 
ago, but I've not yet succeeded in getting good pictures. 
Perhaps you will be good enough to tell me what is 
wrong with my methods.' And here he handed some 
prints over for his customer's inspection. At once the 
latter became interested and gladly offered much prac- 
tical advice. 

"Nothing more was said about business that day, 
but on his next trip the salesman noted a more cordial 
tone of welcome in the buyer's voice than before. Still 
he received no order. Before leaving he drew a pack- 
age of photographic prints out of his pocket and, hand- 
ing them over the counter, said, 'You see, Mr. Sherman, 
I have followed your instructions and this is the result. 
There certainly is some improvement. But from what 
you said to me I rather fancy these two pictures were 
underexposed. Isn't that the case?' 

"The buyer proffered a few more suggestions and 
they parted good friends. On the next trip the sales- 
man received a small order, and thereafter he never 
failed to secure his share of that buyer's business." 1 

Hobbies partake of the nature of true instincts be- 
cause of one's complete absorption in them. A sales- 
man should be constantly on the outlook for evidences 
of their existence because they offer another way of 

1 H. Whitehead, Principles of Salesmanship, 191 8, pp. 204-205. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 195 

motivating the sale. Given an opportunity, the pros- 
pect will most enthusiastically discuss the hobby and 
through this means real friendship between him and 
the salesman is very likely to develop. This makes it 
all the more difficult for the prospect to refuse to con- 
sider the proposition, and to say, "No," later on; for 
we all like to please our friends. 

The writer remembers most distinctly how he was 
sold on this basis. A salesman wished him to buy cer- 
tain space in a newspaper for advertising his college. 
The space was in a special edition which the writer con- 
sidered of very little value. In consequence he said, 
"No," very quickly and emphatically. The salesman 
changed the subject to that of psychology, noticed a 
copy of James's Psychology, and requested permission 
to ask a question concerning the interpretation of a 
passage in the book. Quickly turning to the place, he 
read several sentences. A long discussion followed. 
Finally the salesman bade the writer "good day." 
After he was gone, the writer "came to" and discovered 
a signed order for the space in the newspaper. Just 
when he signed he has never been able to recollect. But 
the psychology hobby had undoubtedly motivated the 
action of signing so completely that the writer's mind 
was hardly directed to the matter at all, even when 
signing. 

A NOVEL COMBINATION OF FAMILIAR THINGS IS ALWAYS 
INTERESTING 

The writer has never forgotten the dog with the pipe 

in his mouth (see page 185). It made a great impres- 
14 



196 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

sion on him and most thoroughly interested him when 
he saw it. 

One very hot day just after lunch the writer was lec- 
turing to a class on advertising. The students were 
hot and uncomfortable and sleepy and it was difficult 
to hold their attention. He could have talked louder, 
or walked up and down the room, or used some 
such device for arousing their interest. Instead, he 
went on to explain just how novelty gripped interest 
in advertising by telling of an advertisement which ap- 
peared several years ago, entitled, "How does [an 

actor] manage to make a cat yawn every night on the 
stage?" Instantly every member of the class was 
awake, paying attention. Why? Because (i) several 
very familiar items had been mentioned ("cat," "yawn," 
"stage") to which they all had reacted many times 
(strong bonds) and (2) the old familiar items were com- 
bined in a new way. 

This is the formula for testing out stunts to be used 
on a prospect which are designed to grip his interest. 
You don't want to spring a new thing on him. To that 
he will show little or no attention. But you may use a 
new combination of his old ideas. This will startle 
him and call forth real genuine interest. 

Possibly we have here the proper clew as to what 
arouses curiosity — namely, a new combination of 
already experienced elements. It is the unusual object 
or unusually acting individual that certainly causes 
curiosity. And it is just such new combinations of old 
experiences as illustrated above that grip people. 

In addition to the above, everyone is interested in 
color, action, and the comic. A beautifully or strikingly 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 197 

colored object will hold a man's interest for a few sec- 
onds at least. The sight of some one doing something 
will also always attract interest. Note the crowd stand- 
ing around a ditch digger, or a sign painter, or a window 
dresser. While you are engaged actively in doing some- 
thing you will have the prospect's interest unless he can 
anticipate your whole series of movements. Even then, 
ordinarily, he will continue watching you. 

All are also interested in comical situations. A good 
story well told is always listened to. But the story 
directs attention to itself and away from the proposi- 
tion, so that one must take care to develop the point to 
be made or must provide a good transition from the 
story back to the proposition, else it may do more harm 
than good. 1 

The relationship of habits to interest has been dis- 
cussed from three angles — i.e. 9 those situations are inter- 
esting that are (1) familiar, (2) related to instinctive 
behavior, and (3) novel. These general principles are 
useful when we are selecting the topics to be presented 
to a prospect in order to interest him. Two other rules, 
which are related to the whole matter of acquired in- 
terests or habits, are (1) to be concrete and (2) to go 
from what is known to the prospect to what is unknown. 

CONCRETE, NOT ABSTRACT, IDEAS ESSENTIAL TO 
AROUSING INTEREST 

The fact that we must present our ideas in concrete 
form has been illustrated by much that has gone before. 

1 For further details, see H. L. Hollingworth, Advertising and Selling, 1913, 
pp. 1 14-125. 



198 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Richard Harding Davis reduced his information from 
generalities to specific instances — instead of the maneu- 
vers of the prize fighters he wrote of "the struggle 'twixt 
the mayor and his collar/ ' or instead of the strategy 
and tactics of an army he described how one small boy 
behaved. Again we have the principle illustrated in the 
parable of the good Samaritan, where a profound ethi- 
cal truth was most simply and concretely presented. 

One of the fundamental reasons why concrete mate- 
rial should be presented is that instinctive action is 
aroused only in response to concrete objects. If we read 
that 10,000,000 people are starving in India or that 
3,000 women and children were killed by Germans in 
Belgium, we say to ourselves, "It's terrible," and go 
on our way. But if we read about one little girl starv- 
ing in India or being killed in Belgium we get excited 
and give our money when called upon. You can hardly 
arouse patriotism by discussing it in general, but you 
can do so by telling of this or that partiotic act. 

In addition to this fundamental reason there is the 
second one, that concrete words are more familiar than 
abstract, and hence are more interesting. Contrast the 
interest you have in the single words listed in these two 
columns : 



cat 


animal 


doll 


toy 


Mary 


child 


cellar-door 


entrance 


laughs 


happy 



Try to construct a sentence containing the second set 
of five words that will interest you or anyone else as 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 199 

much as "Mary laughs at the cat playing with her doll 
on the cellar-door." And the second set does not con- 
tain words which are very abstract, after all. 

Contrast these two paragraphs from magazine adver- 
tisements : 

(1) " There is nothing safer than for brighten- 
ing up oil paintings that have grown dingy with age. 
First wipe off all dust. Next take a good-sized, first- 
quality, silk sponge, dip it in lukewarm water, rub on 

just a little , and go over the canvas quickly and 

gently. Then rinse carefully and dry with a soft 
cloth." 

(2) "Do you realize that, when you wash your face, 
it is not enough simply to cleanse it — that your face 
needs a soothing, restoring influence to keep your com- 
plexion fresh and free from blemish ?" 

The two paragraphs were shown to a large number 
of readers within a month after they had appeared in 
the magazines. Thirty-three per cent of men and 
women remembered seeing the first paragraph and 
23 per cent said correctly that it came from an adver- 
tisement of Ivory Soap. Only 3 per cent remembered 
seeing the second paragraph, and they all guessed incor- 
rectly as to what it advertised. 

Two slogans resulted from this study of advertising 
copy. (1) "Present a concrete case, not general princi- 
ples" and, (2) "Begin with the reader s interests and end 
with yours" 1 Advertising copy fulfilling these two re- 
quirements was read by an overwhelmingly greater 
number of readers than copy that violated them. More- 

1 The author's," To What Extent Do Individuals Read Copy in Advertise- 
ments ?" Research Report No. 9, Association of National Advertisers, 1914. 



2oo THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

over, it was remembered by an even greater proportion 
of the readers. 

Hawkins makes much of this principle of using con- 
crete material. He uses the expression "sense appeal" 
instead of "concrete." He writes in one place: "A cer- 
tain salesman of life insurance had studied salesman- 
ship thoroughly, and became convinced that he could 
close more contracts with sense appeals than in any 
other way. He set himself the task of working out 
ways to impress all the various senses, in readiness to 
'test out' any prospect for his dominant sense. Here 
are some of the sense approaches he planned : 

"The approach to the sense of sight was planned with 
several graphic word pictures of families left in distress 
by the death of the bread-earner. These were pictures 
drawn in words so clearly that the prospect would be 
made to see them. 

"The approach to the sense of hearing was planned 
with accounts of the actual words spoken to a widow 
who vainly sought work with which to support herself. 
The salesman made ready to impress the ears of pros- 
pects with imagined sensations of distress, such as a 
husband would feel if he could dream he was dead and 
that he heard his wife begging for a means to make a 
bare living. . . . 

"He planned how to show a woman moving about 
on the streets, in this direction and in that, begging for 
food. He conjured pictures of the widow and children 
cold in winter and hot in summer. He was ready to de- 
scribe their loss in weight. He suggested how they 
would meet with resistance from the world. Then, in 
contrast with the smoothness of their lives while the 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 201 

bread-earner lived, the salesman prepared impressions 
of the roughness of their existence without the father. 
He planned to show the dreary duration of long days 
in a sweatshop, the noise of railroad trains passing a 
hovel, and many other sense images." 1 

One of the worst faults of salesmen is that they talk 
the " lingo" of their business to their prospects. The 
average man does not know what "legal reserve" or 
"accrued dividends" or "extended insurance" or 
"paid-up values" mean. And ordinarily he is only 
bored if the salesman attempts to explain these terms. 
What he wants is to have the proposition explained in 
his own language. While the writer was in the army, 
his wife received three notices bristling with technical 
terms from a certain life insurance company. Evi- 
dently they wanted her to write her name or his on one 
of the dotted lines. But which name, or on what line, 
or for what reason, was not clear. Apparently her third 
guess was right because no more of the blanks were re- 
ceived. A little care as to using familiar expressions 
understandable by a college graduate would have saved 
postage and clerical help and not aroused annoyance 
against the company. 

Remember, you do not sell insurance policies; you sell 
ideas about insurance. If they are not familiar ideas, 
you might as well talk in Chinese, for all the good you do. 

GO FROM THE KNOWN TO THE UNKNOWN; FROM THE 
INTERESTING TO THE UNINTERESTING 

Upon approaching a prospect we should assume that 
our proposition is both unknown and uninteresting. 

1 N. A. Hawkins, The Selling Process, 1918, pp. 156-159. 



202 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

It may be neither, but we are on the safe side if we 
always go on this assumption. Further, we should 
realize that it may become known and interesting if we 
present it through and by means of ideas that are 
known and interesting to the prospect at the start. In 
other words, we explain our proposition in terms of 
things very well known to the prospect and at the same 
time we make him interested and stir him to action by 
presenting situations that will arouse instinctive 
interests. 

Which "known" and "interesting" ideas shall we 
employ? Those that are most closely related to in- 
stinctive interests. For the more closely they are re- 
lated, the greater "explosive effect" we shall get, once 
the ideas enter the prospect's mind. Also, we need to 
bear in mind that the more familiar the idea (the 
stronger the bond) the greater is the certainty that the 
response we have in mind will follow the situation pre- 
sented. For example, the writer can be pretty sure of 
the reaction that you, the reader, will make to the situa- 
tion "Monroe Doctrine" because this is a very old and 
familiar idea, but who can prophesy the reaction you 
will make to "League of Nations"? Again, the writer 
can safely speak of golf to one who has played the game 
for several years, but not to a novice. The former will 
contentedly listen or talk on the subject since the situa- 
tion leads to many responses by way of well-worn nerve 
connections. But the novice has no such well-developed 
habits and he may or may not listen and he may or may 
not discuss golf when it is mentioned. Possibly you do 
not believe this last statement; you think a beginner 
will listen and talk more glibly and with more enthu- 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 203 

siasm than an old hand. Try it and see. An afternoon 
spent this week with two beginners has more thoroughly 
reinforced the writer's conviction on this point. He 
could no more prophesy what response would be made 
to any remark he made than he could point out where 
^heir ball would land next. 

- Successful selling means complete mastery of the sales 
interview. It can be had if, whenever we must stop a 
moment in our discussion, we have before the prospect 
a situation which forces him to continue thinking of our 
proposition — which does not allow him to wander off the 
subject. One way of accomplishing this is through the 
use of familiar and interesting situations, for we can 
know beforehand what response the prospect will make 
to them and thereby control his mental processes. 

SUMMARY 

In addition to man's instinctive interests he acquires 
a multitude of other interests — called acquired interests 
or habits. These are truly interesting according as they 
are familiar, related to his instincts, and novel. And this 
means that, if we would obtain the interest of a pros- 
pect, we must be concrete and commence a discussion 
with items he knows about. 

But this is just what we are most prone not to do. 
We prefer to talk about what we know, whether he 
knows about it or not. And through greater familiarity 
we generalize, whereas he wants specific definite inci- 
dents. 

Strive, accordingly, to express his interests in his lan- 
guage and in a simple concrete manner. Lead him 



20 4 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

from, and out of, his interests to your insurance 
proposition. 

ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON XVI 

Imagine you are merely acquainted with Mr. Samuel 
T. Winter, thirty years of age, who is employed as a 
salesman in a sporting-goods house. The papers have 
just announced the birth of his first child. As far as 
you can learn he carries no insurance. Apparently he 
has no income beyond his salary. 

He is known around town as a very good tennis and 
golf player and has a good collection of postage stamps. 
He belongs to the Baptist church, but seldom attends. 
Does not belong to any club except the Athletic Club, 
which he visits frequently. 

Write out an approach to Mr. Winter covering the 
sales interview from your salutation up to the point 
you reveal the purpose of your business. Utilize one 
of his hobbies to start the conversation. Be as concrete 
as possible and endeavor so to conduct the interview 
that at every step you have such a situation confront- 
ing Mr. Winter that he cannot break away. 



LESSON XVI. THE UTILIZATION OF HABITS 
IN CONVINCING ANOTHER 

Instincts, as we have seen, provide both that we act 
in a definite way in certain situations and that we enjoy 
such action. Habits, though less inevitably, have the 
same two features. They lead to action, and such 
action is usually interesting. 

In the preceding lesson the interestingness of habits 
was emphasized. It was pointed out that some habits 
were more interesting than others, and rules were given 
as to how to use them in selling a prospect. In this les- 
son, on the other hand, the emphasis is upon the "ac- 
tion" aspect of habits. How can ideas be so presented to 
an individual that they will move along through his mind 
and finally be accepted by him as his own? 

Apparently there are two methods of convincing a 
man: (i) through the "toboggan" method, and (2) 
through forcing him to classify the proposition in a 
favorable class. 



TKE "TOBOGGAN" METHOD OF CONVINCING A MAN 

Suppose you have learned that Mr. Prospect gives 
his wife a regular allowance every month. How can 
that fact be utilized in selling him? After the usual 
salutation you can start right off by saying, "Mr. Pros- 
pect, you are familiar with the custom of many a busi- 



206 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

ness man of maintaining a personal checking account 
in one bank and another checking account for his wife 
in a second bank. And you know that such a man gives 
his wife a monthly check which she deposits in her 
bank. If he goes off on a trip, he arranges that this 
monthly check will go to his wife just the same. Now 
the proposition I have in mind for you accomplishes 
exactly what such a man does for his wife in that if you 
die your wife will get just such a check regularly every 
month as long as she lives." 

Now what have you done here? You have seized 
upon one of his habitual ways of thinking and acting 
(sending a check every month). You have made him 
travel over this way of thinking again. He doesn't 
object because it is his own habit of thought, and con- 
sequently he is interested in it. And before he realizes 
it you have "shot" him into the heart of your proposi- 
tion. And there is absolutely no way in which he can 
get out except by going ahead or being untrue to his 
convictions and love for his wife. 

It is just like putting him on a toboggan and pushing 
him over the edge of the slide. Once started, he has 
got to go ahead. He can escape going ahead only by 
running the risk of rolling off the sled. 

He goes ahead in the sales interview with you because 
his mind has a pathway already developed by giving 
his wife a monthly check. And because of this habit 
and love for his wife he can't say, "I don't want it." 
The best he can do is to consider further your proposi- 
tion in order to find some other mode of escape. 

Just as you lead up to a desired action through depict- 
ing a situation instinctively tied to that action, so now 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 207 

you lead up to a desired idea through presenting a situa- 
tion that naturally leads to that idea. And it leads 
there because of the habits of thought actually existing 
within the mind of your prospect. 

This is the basis of the tactics used by Bagley in sell- 
ing Barnes (Lesson I). He was led to think about his 
"son" and his "son going to college. ,, And, pictorially 
speaking, as he was rushing down the toboggan slide, 
Bagley added, "Make this aspiration of yours cer- 
tain." How could Barnes escape without denying 
these very aspirations he had already so emphatically 
asserted ? 

Suppose again, Mr. Prospect earns a salary of $3,500. 
About the moment you are ready to close he unex- 
pectedly raises the excuse, "But I simply can't afford 
this insurance." How should you reply and utilize his 
existing habits of thought so as to silence the excuse 
and at the same time close? You could say to him, 
"Mr. Prospect, if your manager sent for you and said, 
'Prospect, we have had an awful year, as you know. 
You have been faithful and efficient. You deserve a 
raise. But I simply can't give it to you. Worse still, 
Fve got to cut everyone's salary, including my own. 
I figure I must cut yours $500 this year. I'm sorry, 
but it can't be helped. And I ask you to stand by us/ 
Mr. Prospect, you wouldn't be a quitter and leave. 
You'd walk out of his office wondering how you could 
manage. You'd stand by him and you'd manage, 
wouldn't you?" Now, having said this, you would 
rightly expect the reply from Mr. Prospect, "I'd have 
to, I guess." And you could add, "Would it be con- 
venient for you to see the doctor at twelve-thirty ? Then 



208 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

if he finds you are in good condition we can go out to 
lunch and fix up the details." 

Here again you present a situation which because of 
his past experience makes him go along with you. And 
because it is a true situation in terms of his own habits 
of thought he is interested and cannot escape. Before 
he can recover, you " funnel" this interest and activity 
into the quite harmless act of finding out whether he is 
in good condition. 

This is without question the very best method of 
presenting a proposition to another. By it one pro- 
ceeds from the known to the unknown, from the pros- 
pect's interests to your interests, and it is concrete, not 
abstract. But very often the salesman is not able to 
plan out his interview in this way. Another method is 
available in such cases, whereby one forces the prospect 
to classify the proposition as a favorable one. 

FORCING PROSPECT TO CLASSIFY PROPOSITION IN 
FAVORABLE CLASS 

A sales manager was overheard talking on the phone. 
For several minutes he said nothing, but from time to 
time emitted a sort of grunt indicating that he was lis- 
tening. All this time his manner showed clearly that 
he did not understand the proposition being made to 
him. Then, suddenly, his whole manner changed, he 
straightened up in his chair, clutched the receiver more 
strenuously and said, "No, I wouldn't do it. No! No!! 
I won't do it!!!" 

What had happened? Clearly for several minutes he 
had been listening to some proposition without being 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 209 

able to classify it in his mind. Suddenly he "sized it 
up," assigned it to a definite class, and then responded 
to it as he always did to all items in that class. 

In this case, a salesman wanted permission to quote 
a price below the established one in order to meet a 
competitor's bid. Such procedure would violate a 
policy of the house. Policies are to be upheld. Hence 
the answer, "No." 

Business men more or less unconsciously put the 
ordinary situations which confront them every day 
into certain classes. Attached to each class is an estab- 
lished method of procedure — sometimes "Yes" and 
sometimes "No." In the case of the illustration above, 
we have a proposition being classified as a violation of 
one of the company's policies, and "No" was said be- 
cause it was the established response. 

We have all watched an executive engaged in answer- 
ing correspondence. He runs through the letters; 
marks a "14" on one; "2" on the next. His stenog- 
rapher answers the letter according to the number, 
using the appropriate form letters. Now in all these 
cases the executive classifies the letter under one 
of his established classes. The stenographer then 
sends the customary response. But occasionally he 
turns to his dictaphone and answers a letter in full. 
Here he meets a situation which cannot be fitted 
into any one of his classes and has no established 
response. 

This is more or less clearly just what a buyer does 
when confronted with a salesman. He sizes up the 
situation and gives the response which goes with the 
class into which he has put the particular situation. If 



210 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

the salesman is an old friend, he is reacted to as such. 
If he is a stranger, but represents a house from which 
the buyer has long bought, he is reacted to in terms of 
the "house," not of "being a stranger." If the propo- 
sition involves a "good profit," the answer is "Yes." 
If it is a commodity which has been turned back by 
the buyer's customers, the response is "No." 

The fact that very few men ever buy life insurance 
except when "sold" it by a salesman indicates very 
clearly that very few men ever place it in a class to 
which the response is "Yes." In truth, life insurance 
comes under the classification of "miscellaneous annoy- 
ing propositions " with most men. The reaction is con- 
sequently "No." The life insurance salesman may be 
fairly certain that as soon as his proposition is sized up 
the reaction of "No" will be made. What significance 
this has to the insurance salesman will be discussed 
later. 

Right here we want to get before us the fact that the 
average man has certain habits of saying "Yes" and 
"No" according as a proposition is classified by him 
into one of a number of classes. 

Administrative habits leading to a favorable re- 
sponse. A business man ordinarily says "Yes" to a 
proposition that belongs in any one of these classes: 

1. It provides a good profit. 

2. It* concerns a time saver or a useful article in the 
office. 

3. It saves the buyer personal exertion. (This may 
not be a strong enough appeal if the proposition is too 
expensive.) 

4. It advances the prestige of the store or owner. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 211 

5. It is backed by the recommendation of a friend. 
(This secures favorable attention, but not always favor- 
able action.) 

6. It provides against the danger of fire. (This 
is the matter of fire insurance which is nearly always 
favorably received where there is not already full 
protection.) 

7. It is a charitable appeal. (This will probably be 
dodged, if possible, but not definitely refused.) 

8. It is an appeal from a member of one's own club, 
society, college, etc. (This will be treated in the same 
manner as would that in Class 7.) 

In the case of most individuals there are certain other 
habits of this sort which lead to favorable action and 
which are more or less characteristic of the man himself. 
One merchant had formerly been a newsboy. Any 
proposition of benefit to newsboys always received fa- 
vorable action from him. Many business men, and a 
still larger number of women, will react favorably to a 
proposition presented by a "young man working his 
way through college," though they would not consider 
it otherwise. 

Administrative habits leading to an unfavorable re- 
sponse. A business man ordinarily says "No" right 
away to any proposition he places in these classes : 

1. It affords no profit or too little profit or costs too 
much. 

2. It concerns an inferior quality of goods. 

3. It will cause him personally a lot of annoyance. 

4. It is presented by a salesman whom he dislikes, 
or comes from a firm which he dislikes. 

5. It is a brand-new proposition. 

15 



212 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

6. It is an advertising proposition. 

7. It is life insurance. 

8. It is "theoretical," not "practical." 

Just how the business man will say "No" depends 
upon his character and temperament, the extent to 
which he is "bottled up" with annoying circumstances 
(remember Penrod), and the behavior of the salesman. 
Ordinarily, the business man will attempt to say "No" 
in a courteous manner. And he will use some one of a 
great variety of excuses to get rid of the salesman, such 
as: 

"No, thank you, I'm really not interested." 
"I haven't the money." "Can't afford it." 
"I'm too busy to decide to-day." "Too busy to talk 
with you to-day." 

"I'll have to think it over." 

"Suppose you call again" (particularly to a salesman 
out of town). 

"We have no need for it to-day." 
"I'm sorry, but I have an appointment now." 
" I never decide a matter of such importance without 
sleeping over it." 

If such excuses do not get rid of the salesman, more 
radical measures will follow, leading eventually to anger 
and a genuine fighting attitude, if the annoying situa- 
tion (the salesman) is not eliminated. 

We shall consider a little later the maneuvers that a 
salesman should pursue under the circumstances. In 
this lesson we are acquainting ourselves with groups of 
administrative habits. The better they are understood 
the better a salesman will handle his proposition and 
his prospect, and the greater confidence he will have in 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 213 

himself. For lack of confidence is almost entirely due 
to lack of knowledge and imagination of what may hap- 
pen. If we anticipate every detail, we cannot help but 
be confident. 

Leading the prospect to classify the proposition in a 
favorable class. It is perfectly clear that if the sales- 
man's life insurance proposition can be so presented at 
the start that the buyer will classify it in a class to 
which he responds by "Yes," the sale will follow most 
naturally. Frankly, this is not easy to do. But occa- 
sionally it can be accomplished. 

A prospect who is constantly buying fire insurance 
to protect shipments of goods may sometimes be ap- 
pealed to so that he thinks of life insurance as belonging 
in the "fire insurance" class. Even if he does not do 
so, this appeal is excellent, as it leads by way of a strong 
related interest (see Lesson XV) to the salesman's 
proposition. 

Selling insurance to cover the inheritance tax on 
large estates has recently become a popular proposition. 
It is reported that J. Pierpont Morgan was sold two and 
a half million on this basis. In selling such a proposi- 
tion one administrative habit can very often be used to 
advantage. Prospects with such estates frequently 
need "ready money" to meet emergencies. In conse- 
quence they are constantly planning to handle their 
securities so as always to have cash on hand or immedi- 
ately available. If they did not they might be caught 
in a sudden panic or depression and lose large amounts. 
In just such manner the present J. Pierpont Morgan 
lost considerably in meeting the inheritance tax on his 



2i 4 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

father's estate — the tax having to be paid within one 
year. The insurance salesman in taking advantage of 
this necessity should so present his proposition that it 
will be immediately classified by the millionaire as a 
device for providing ready cash in an emergency. If 
so classified, it will, through habit, be favorably reacted 
to. Otherwise, the prospect will most likely say "No," 
classifying the plan as "mere insurance." Once he has 
classified it in a favorable class, he is interested and 
can be sold if the expense is not excessive for the serv- 
ice rendered. 

A hotel man with exceptionally successful experience 
wished to erect a large hotel. To do so he organized a 
company. But the capital they were able to subscribe 
was not sufficient to secure properly an issue of bonds 
they wished to float. At this point an insurance sales- 
man appeared on the scene. He called attention to 
their need for a surplus, a sinking fund, to provide for 
emergencies, and to the fact that if the hotel man 
should die there would be need for a still greater sur- 
plus, since much of the success of the venture depended 
on his experience and ability. "Consequently," he 
said, "insure your manager's life for the amount of 
money needed to float your bonds. If he lives your 
proposition will undoubtedly succeed; if he dies your 
bonds are secured." The group quickly accepted his 
plan. Here the sale was accomplished because it was 
so presented as to be classified under the heading, 
"provide for emergencies," and "secure your bond 
issue." They were ready to act upon any sale proposi- 
tion so classified. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 215 

Even if the proposition cannot be so presented as to 
warrant the buyer in classifying it in a favorable class, 
even if he hesitates about doing so, he tends to be fa- 
vorably disposed to that extent and refrains from clas- 
sifying it in an unfavorable class. 

If it is clear that the prospect is going to classify your 
proposition and put it in an unfavorable class, it is de- 
sirable so to conduct the opening of the sales interview 
that (1) instinctive and acquired interests shall have 
been presented in order to hold his interest after he has 
classified the proposition, and (2) as many unfavorable 
classifications as possible shall have been disposed* of 
before the classification is made. In other words, the 
salesman should endeavor to establish interest before 
he makes his proposition clear enough to permit its 
being classified. 

SUMMARY 

One should utilize the habits of thought developed by 
the prospect in order to convince him. Two phases of 
the same general method of doing this have been dis- 
cussed. In the first case, one leads the prospect to 
think along an accustomed channel and so leads him to 
the new idea (the "toboggan method"). In the sec- 
ond case, one states the proposition to him and shows 
that it belongs to a class of propositions to which the 
prospect is favorably inclined, so leading him to a fa- 
vorable reaction through habit (favorable classification 
method). Possibly a diagrammatical presentation of 
both methods will make the difference between them 
still clearer. Consider the example given on page 205 



2l6 



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 



of selling a prospect an income policy for his wife's 
protection. 



' Toboggan " Method. 



a. 



Situations Presented by Salesman 

1. You are familiar with 
the common custom of 
a man giving his wife 
a check every month 
which she deposits in 
her own bank. 

2. And you know that b. Yes 
such a man makes pro- 
vision when he is absent 

from home that his wife 
will get the check just 
the same every month. 

3. Now the proposition I 
have in mind for you 
accomplishes exactly 
what such a man does 
for his wife in that if 
you die your wife will 
get just such a check 
regularly every month 
as long as she lives. 



Responses of Prospect 

Yes. 



Thinks, "That's fair." 
(He can't say that it is 
of no interest to him 
without denying the 
above two affirmative 
responses and his love 
for his wife.) 



Forcing Favorable Classification Method. 

1. My proposition will a. Ah ! Life insurance. No. 

provide that your wife I have all I need. (The 

will receive a check reg- response is to insurance 

ularly every month as in most cases, not to 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 



217 



Responses of Prospect 

the new idea of month- 
ly check.) 

(Responses prob- 
lematic.) 



Situations Presented by Salesman 

long as she lives after 
your death. 
2. (The salesman, having 
announced the proposi- 
tion, must now force it 
into a favorable classifi- 
cation and out of the 
unfavorable one.) Ar- 
guments as to a wife's 
needs for insurance. 
Arguments as to the ad- 
vantages of an income 
policy versus lump sum, 
etc. 



By means of the "toboggan" method the salesman 
leads the prospect along in terms of the prospect's own 
ways of thinking until the proposition is made. By 
means of the second method the salesman presents the 
proposition first and then defends it. The former re- 
quires the higher skill because it means planning many 
moves ahead, but it makes it easy for the prospect to 
come along. The latter method is the one used con- 
sciously or unconsciously by all of us when arguing. It 
has the disadvantage that it is apt to put the prospect 
on the defensive. Consequently he fights the salesman's 
arguments with arguments defending his own first de- 
cision. And as none of us like to be beaten in any con- 
test, it is not easy to get the prospect to admit he has 
changed his mind even when thoroughly beaten in the 
debate. 



218 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON XVII 

Note how in the sales interview between Collins and 
Hudson (which is given in full below) Collins has com- 
pletely destroyed Hudson's opportunity to say "I can't 
afford it." Collins has here so outmaneuvered Hudson 
that the latter cannot present his strongest objection 
to taking out insurance. If he does not take out 
insurance it will be very largely because he doesn't 
want to — a seemingly weak excuse in the face of the 
reasons presented by Collins for his doing so. 

Note, second, how Collins strives to force this insur- 
ance proposition into a favorable class — i.e., thrift is 
appreciated by employers and therefore one is likely to 
get a raise by saving. 

Write out the steps employed by Collins in the case 
where he used the "toboggan" method of influencing 
Hudson. Do the same in the case where he used the 
"forcing into a favorable class" method of influencing 
Hudson. 

What are the advantages and disadvantages in both 
these methods of convincing another ? 

Add to the lists given in the lesson all the other fa- 
vorable and unfavorable classes that men use in sizing 
up propositions put to them. 

ARTHUR COLLINS INTERVIEWS JAMES HUDSON 1 

(Collins is a young life insurance solicitor working 
chiefly among young men. He plans to call on James 

1 This sales interview illustrates an excellent method by which a young 
salesman can sell insurance to young men, especially unmarried men. It 
was prepared expressly for this book by Griffin M. Lovelace, 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 219 

Hudson, concerning whom he has secured the following 
information from one of Hudson's intimate friends 
whom he has insured.) 

"Picture" of James Hudson. Clerk in Pennsylvania Oil 
Company, Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Age — 22. 

High school graduate. 

Industrious, earns about #22 a week. 

Has no dependents. His parents are fairly well-to-do. 

Saves nothing — Ambition to succeed — Habits good. 

Associates with steady class of young men. 

Plays tennis and billiards and is a good boxer. 

Fancier of carrier pigeons. 

Was a doughboy overseas and received a slight wound from 
which he has entirely recovered. 

Is not engaged to be married and apparently cares little for the 
society of women. 

Carries no government insurance. 

Best time to see him is just before lunch, between 12 and 12.30. 

Has been solicited by several insurance salesmen recently, but 
has not bought any insurance. 

Plan. Twenty-year-endowment. 

Interview. Collins calls at the Pennsylvania Oil 
Company offices and asks to see Hudson. After a few 
minutes Hudson, whom he has never met, comes out 
into the lobby. 

Collins: "Is this Mr. Hudson?" 

Hudson: "Yes." 

Collins: "My name is Collins, Mr. Hudson. I want 
to see you privately a few minutes. Will it be better to 
talk in your office or here?" 5 

Hudson: "We'd better talk here. I have no privacy 



22o THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

in the office; there are so many of us working together 
in there." 

Collins: "Good! Let us stand over here by the 
table." (Hudson follows him to the table.) "Mr. 10 
Hudson, I am first going to ask you a question 
which I hope you won't mind answering." 

Hudson: (Hesitates a moment, as if he thought this 
was a little nervy for an introduction.) "All right, go 
ahead." 15 

Collins: "Mr. Hudson, I wanted to ask, How much 
money can you save?" 

Hudson: "How much money can I save? Why do 
you want to know that?" 

Collins: "I know that sounds rather sudden, but I 20 
don't want to waste any of our time and so I get down 
to facts at once. I have a proposition I want to discuss 
with you and I can't do it intelligently unless I have 
some idea of how much you can save." 

Hudson : (Somewhat reluctantly, as if he really 25 
didn't like the interview.) "Oh, I don't know." 

Collins: "Well, of course you could save something, 
couldn't you?" 

Hudson: "Yes, of course." 

Collins: "Could you save as much as two dollars a 30 
week?" 

Hudson: "Sure." 

Collins: "Well, if you could save two dollars a weeks 
it would be easy for you to save one dollar a week, 
wouldn't it?" 35 

Hudson: "Of course; but what's the idea? What 
do you want?" 

Collins: "Well, here's my proposition. You and I 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 221 

are both young and we know from our own experience 
and the experiences of others that it is hard for a young 40 
man to start saving his money, and yet all of us mean 
to save some day. We know we'll never get anywhere 
until we do. We even know that employers rate the 
man who saves his money higher than the one who 
doesn't, and that a reputation for thrift helps a man 40 
get a promotion or a better position. I really think 
this is one of the most important reasons why a young 
man who wants to get ahead should save and it is the 
one reason so many overlook. You know and I know 
that there are many employers who form their estimate 50 
of an employee's business sense by his thrift habit. Is 
he strong or weak in regard to thrift? The employer 
feels that the wise young man saves his money, and it 
is the wise ones he wants to keep and push ahead. If 
they are saving their money they acquire habits of 55 
economy that make them keep an eye out for economy 
in the business, and every employer is interested in 
this. He wants men who will try to prevent waste in 
every direction and he sizes up men with respect to this 
point largely from their personal habits of thrift." 60 

Hudson: "Well, I expect to begin saving some day, 
but I am young and I have a good many expenses, and 
what little I could save now wouldn't amount to much. 
You speak of saving one dollar a week — fifty-two dol- 
lars a year — why, that isn't anything!" 65 

Collins: "In a way what you say is right. It wouldn't 
amount to much right away, but everything big has 
had a beginning and usually a small one. John D. 
Rockefeller started with a small business. Suppose he 
had said, 'I'll wait until I can start a big one.' He 70 



222 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

never would have organized the Standard Oil Com- 
pany, would he? Most of us are like you. We don't 
have any definite plan, and the little we can put away 
seems so small, we think we'll wait until we can save 
in a big way. 75 

"We all wish to save money and I am sure you do; 
but we usually don't start until some one comes along 
and shows us a good way to do it. There are lots of 
older men who have never saved anything until they 
got a definite plan, usually some obligation that made so 
it necessary to put away something regularly in order 
to meet payments on account. Lots of people never 
saved anything until they bought a home on the install- 
ment plan. 

"Now it is a regular installment saving proposition sa 
that I want to talk to you about. I represent the 
Hearthstone Life Insurance Company. I know that 
at your age you probably do not need any life insurance 
for the present, and I am not going to try to interest 
you particularly in life insurance. But my company 90 
issues a Thrift Policy, the object of which is to enable 
a young man of your age to accumulate a sum of money 
by the time he is around forty. That is the critical 
time of life with the average man. He usually needs 
money then to buy a home or invest in business. This 05 
Thrift Policy has been a great success. It is already 
very popular and we are selling a lot of them to the 
young men here in Pittsburgh." 

Hudson: "Well, I guess it is a good thing, but you 
said it when you stated that I didn't need any life in- 100 
surance. If I wanted any insurance, I would have taken 
it with the government." 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 223 

Collins: "Quite right. I can see that you really 
don't need any insurance protection if you have no de- 
pendents and you would have been right to take the 105 
government insurance if you had needed any, for it is 
a fine thing. 

"I would not propose any plan for you now that 
featured the life insurance end of it. That will come a 
little later. But the Thrift Policy is primarily a savings 110 
proposition — the fine thing about it is that you obligate 
yourself to deposit so much a year; it comes to almost 
one dollar a week. And at the end of twenty years you 
have $1,000 saved. Besides, there are dividends which 
will be accumulated at compound interest, giving you 115 
a surplus over and above the $1,000." 

Hudson: "Isn't there any life insurance connected 
with it?" 

Collins: "Oh yes, of course, but it is merely for the 
purpose of insuring your savings account. You see, it 120 
works this way. Suppose you deposited an even fifty 
dollars a year at the beginning of each year in a bank. 
During the first year you have fifty dollars. At the end 
often years you would have five hundred dollars plus the 
interest earned on all your deposits. If you died in any 123 
year before your total savings amounted to $1,000 your 
estate would be short of $1,000 by a certain amount. 
While this deficit would be small in the last two or three 
years, it would be large in the early years. Now this 
is just where the life insurance feature comes in. You 130 
make your deposits from year to year. The greater 
part of the deposit goes toward the savings account 
and a small part is used to insure the difference between 
the amount of the savings fund and the total aimed at 



224 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

of $1,000. In case of death, even after you have made 13s 
only one deposit, your whole fund of #1,000 is paid to 
anybody you want to leave it to — your mother or sister 
or anybody else; or you leave it to your estate and it 
puts you square with the world. If you should happen 
to marry some day, why, then you can easily see that ho 
you have got the best combination possible; #1,000 if 
you live out the twenty years; $1,000 for the family 
if you don't. There is no other savings proposition in 
the world like it. It helps a man to get on his feet, if he 
lives, and if he dies it pays his debts and leaves him a us 
good business reputation." 

Hudson: "Well, it looks good enough, but I don't 
believe I want to do anything now. Besides, twenty 
years is a long time." 

Collins: "I'm glad you agree with me that it looks 150 
like a good proposition. There's nothing else I know 
of which gives a young man such a good chance to start 
a savings account and such a fine method of keeping up 
his deposits regularly. But that isn't all. The effect 
on other people of taking such a step is valuable. Busi- 155 
ness men expect that young men will insure, if they are 
looking ahead to the future, and it is the forward-look- 
ing man who is wanted in the good jobs. You say 
twenty years is a long time. It seems so to you and 
me; but ask your father — ask any man forty years old 160 
or over — if twenty years is a long time. Ask him if he 
doesn't wish he had put all the money he could into 
just such a proposition when he was your age. But 
you don't have to wait twenty years to get real benefits 
from this Thrift Policy. One of the chief requisites to 165 
success is credit and a reputation for having something. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 225 

One of these $1,000 Thrift Policies is an estate, a small 
estate, to be sure, but it is a beginning and everybody 
has to begin 'small.' As an estate it forms a basis for 
credit. Federal banks and many others now ask even no 
big business men who want to borrow money, how 
much life insurance they carry. 

"As your Thrift Policy grows in value from year to 
year, it will become a constantly increasing sinking 
fund or credit collateral, against which you can borrow 175 
— not that you think of the probability of wanting to 
borrow money, but you already think, no doubt, of 
being in business for yourself some day, and then you 
will need credit. The biggest business men borrow 
money. Every business man has to borrow sooner or iso 
later to promote his business. It is simply a question 
of renting the use of money and is a straight business 
proposition. Everybody should have collateral on 
which he can borrow. The man without some collateral 
is the man who hasn't saved. Banks and business con- 185 
cerns with whom he negotiates deals are timid if he can 
show no collateral. They wonder why he has never 
saved anything. 

"If you should ask the average business man what 
habits in a young man are most important as a founda- 190 
tion for business success, one of the first to be men- 
tioned would almost invariably be thrift — the habit of 
regular saving." 

Hudson: "That is all probably true, and yet I have 
time enough. I'm only twenty-two years old and it 195 
will be some time before I shall need any money in 
business. Besides, I have been solicited for life insur- 
ance a good many times and I always said I didn't need 
it and wouldn't take any until I did." 



226 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Collins: "Mr. Hudson, you believe in saving as a 200 
good foundation for helpful business habits, of course, 
don't you?" 

Hudson: "Yes, I guess it is a good thing." 

Collins: "And you believe that it is important to 
know where you are going and to get started early, 205 
don't you?" 

Hudson: "Yes." 

Collins: "You know, too, that the man who buys a 
house on the installment plan or joins a building-and- 
loan association or buys a Thrift Policy will more 210 
surely get a saving habit than the man who simply 
says, 'I'm going to save money when I have a little 
surplus.' Isn't that right?" 

Hudson: "Yes." 

Collins: "You expect to be in business some day 213 
and you intend to save money, don't you, for that 
purpose ? " 

Hudson: "I guess so." 

Collins: "But you haven't yet decided on a plan, 
have you?" 220 

Hudson: "No." 

Collins: "And you can see that this Thrift Policy is 
a good plan. It beats all others because it insures the 
saving plan. It is better because the life insurance 
feature is a protection against the unexpected happen- 225 
ings of the future. If a man has a savings account, 
people think that is good — he is preparing for the fu- 
ture. If he has a Thrift Policy, they think he is plan- 
ning not only for his own future, but for the future of 
others. He is planning against the unknown and the 230 
unexpected. He has foresight. He is provident. He 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 227 

is wise. And these are qualities your employer and 
other employers are looking for in a young man. 
You know Bill Cameron, don't you?" 

Hudson: "Yes." 235 

Collins : "Well, he has taken a Thrift Policy with me, 
and so has Raymond Crown. I guess you know him." 
Hudson: "Yes, I know Ray." 

Collins: "You are about twenty-two or twenty- 
three years old, aren't you?" 240 
H u d son : " Twenty-two. ' ■ 

Collins (taking out his rate book) : "At your age the 
annual deposit is a little less than one dollar a week. 
It is $48.17." 

Hudson: "Do I have to pay it all at once?" 245 

Collins: "It is better, if you can, for the deposit is a 
little more, if you make it semiannually or quarterly." 
Hudson: "What is it quarterly?" 
Collins: "Twelve dollars and fifty-two cents." 
Hudson: "Well, it would be easier to pay it that 250 
way." 

Collins: "That will be all right; and later, if you 
want to change, you can do so." 

(Takes out application blank and fountain pen.) 
"What is your full name, Mr. Hudson?" 255 

Hudson: "James Hotchkiss Hudson." 
(Collins writes the name at the top of the application 
blank and proceeds to ask questions and to fill out the 
blank. When it is complete he pushes it over to Hud- 
son and gives him the pen. Hudson hesitates a mo- 260 
ment and reads the application from beginning to end, 
then signs.) 

(Don't forget the assignment outlined on page 218.) 
16 



LESSON XVII. MOTIVES FOR BUYING LIFE 
INSURANCE 

Instinctively, no one wants life insurance. It is not 
an object that is bought, but a service — an abstract sort 
of thing — to which we have no ready-made response. 
Moreover, the service cannot be classified among 
money-making schemes, and so we have no general 
habit-formed method of dealing with it, except to re- 
ject it. And worst of all, the benefits from the service 
accrue sometime indefinitely in the future, generally 
after the purchaser is dead. 1 

Despite all these handicaps, billions of dollars of in- 
surance are sold every year. And the emphasis should 
be upon the word "sold," for practically none of this 
business is "bought" by prospects. 

To sell a prospect insurance, one must needs present 
for his consideration certain ideas (reasons) and at the 

1 In addition to these reasons why no one wants life insurance, there is 
also a group of rather unconscious reasons (technically known as complexes) 
which cause us not to want to discuss the subject. Because of the extremely 
unpleasant nature of death, we resist thinking about it and use all manner 
of camouflage when it is necessary to refer to it. "Life insurance," itself, is 
such a camouflage for the real thing which is "death insurance." Just as 
when one spills his dinner into his lap he tries to forget the incident, so we 
all try to forget death. And just as the one who had the accident at dinner 
resents reference to it, so also all of us resent reference to our coming death. 

The life insurance salesman has to sell, then, a service that is not only 
instinctively not desired but also actually unpleasant to consider. 

For further discussion see J. H. Woodward, "The Influence of Trend on 
Salesmanship," in The Eastern Underwriter, Sept. 26, 1919, and for a more 
general discussion of this subject in popular language, see B. Hart, The 
Psychology of Insanity, 191 2. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 229 

same time one must motivate these ideas with instinc- 
tive appeals. The ideas must be openly presented; the 
prospect's attention must be concentrated upon them; 
and the salesman must give the impression that he also 
is concentrated upon them. But while presenting his 
ideas, the salesman must also continually appeal in a 
skillful and indirect manner to the prospect's emotions. 
If this is done properly, the prospect never suspects 
that his emotions have been stirred by the salesman, 
but thinks rather that the argument is responsible — in 
other words, that he has become interested entirely 
through an appeal to reason. 

It will be recalled that in Lessons I to IV the Strat- 
egy of Selling was discussed in connection with an 
analysis of the sales interviews of Bagley with Barnes 
and Harrington with Alderson. The five steps to be 
considered in the strategy were given as: 

1 . Prospect : To whom am I selling ? 

2. Proposition: Exactly what am I selling? 

3. Convictions: What convictions must the prospect 
have before he will buy? 

4. Impulses : What impulses must the prospect have 
before he will buy? 

5. Appeals: What ideas and incitements must I pre- 
sent so that the prospect will have the desired convic- 
tions and impulses and will buy? 

Since our analysis of the Harrington- Alderson inter- 
view we have been acquiring a working conception of 
what is meant by "impulse," as used in the third step 
of the strategy. We are now ready to consider just 
what is meant by the terms "conviction," "impulse," 
and "appeal," 



2 3 o THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

The prospect must be possessed with favorable wo- 
tives before he will buy. These motives may be classified 
as either 

convictions (beliefs) or 
impulses (desires). 

In order to sell the prospect, the salesman must pre- 
sent to him appeals. Appeals may be divided into two 
groups : 

ideas (logical appeals) and 
incitements (emotional appeals). 

In other words, the salesman is interested in securing 
a certain response from the prospect — namely, that of 
signing the application. But before this ultimate re- 
sponse can be secured it is necessary to bring about 
other responses — namely, certain convictions and cer- 
tain impulses. The determination of just what con- 
victions and impulses must be in the prospect's mind 
before he will buy is what is involved in the third and 
fourth steps in the strategy of selling. 

To bring about these responses it is necessary for the 
salesman to present certain situations. Ideas are pre- 
sented so as to lead to convictions; incitements are 
presented so as to lead to impulses. 

Diagrammatically all this may be shown as follows: 
Situation Response 

i. Ideas. a. Convictions ) Signs 

2. Incitements. b. Impulses J application. 

MOTIVES FOR BUYING 

A prospect will buy only when he has favorable mo- 
tives for doing so. As just stated, such motives may 
be either convictions or impulses. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 231 

Conviction connotes "idea" plus "belief." An idea 
may or may not be accepted as true. For example, 
I have the idea that insurance is a safe investment. 
Moreover, I believe it. Consequently, I have a con- 
viction in the matter. But Smith, my prospect, may 
also have the idea, but not believe it. He does not have 
a conviction that insurance is a safe investment. He 
may have the opposite conviction or he may not have 
a conviction one way or the other. Before I can sell 
him, I must change the simple idea, "Insurance is a safe 
investment," into a conviction. This will be done by 
presenting reasons and answering objections. A con- 
viction is then an idea which is accepted as true — 
which is believed. 1 

Impulse. An impulse, on the other hand, is the want- 
ing to do something regardless of whether it is wise, 
proper, and moral to do it, or not. For example, one 
has an impulse to take and eat an apple in the grocery 
store. One has an impulse to quit work and go off camp- 
ing. One has an impulse to go to one's baby when it 
screams. 

Conviction and impulse contrasted. One does not 
act in the first case (take the apple), as one's conviction 
against stealing is infinitely stronger than one's impulse 
to help oneself. One does act in the third case (goes to 
the baby), for conviction reinforces impulse. 



1 " Belief" probably always involves some feeling or emotion. If this is 
correct, there is no such thing as a conviction which is purely intellectual in 
nature. For the sake of clearness, however, convictions are assumed to be 
intellectual responses and are distinguished from impulses which are emo- 
tional and volitional responses. This is correct enough for beginners in psy- 
chology, particularly as psychologists are not agreed among themselves with 
regard to many aspects of this whole subject. 



2 3 2 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Whenever we have such a case as this last one, action 
is practically certain to ensue. Where we have convic- 
tion alone there is little likelihood of action. Thus a 
man may be thoroughly convinced that the political 
administration in his city is corrupt. But he won't do 
anything about it till some personal inconvenience 
incites him or he is motivated through appeal to the 
loftier phases of his instinctive interests. When we 
have impulse alone we may or may not have action, 
depending on the strength of the impulse, the presence 
or absence of opposing convictions, and the presence or 
absence of counter impulses. 

Suppose a prospect has a conviction that he should 
carry insurance, and an impulse to buy an auto. He 
will probably buy the auto, for the idea about life in- 
surance seems too remote to interfere. Let a salesman, 
however, arouse his impulse to take care of his wife 
and family, and this impulse, plus conviction about 
insurance, will then outweigh the auto impulse alone 
and the policy will be taken. 

Before a prospect will act he must have favorable 
convictions and impulses, or impulses alone. The third 
and fourth steps in the strategy of selling are the de- 
termination of what are the necessary convictions and 
impulses in any individual case. The fifth step is the 
determination of what appeals the salesman must 
make to the prospect so he will have these necessary 
motives for buying. (Discussed further in Lessons 
XXI and XXII.) 

From this point on in the course, the term "convic- 
tion " will be used in reference to an idea believed in by 
the prospect; the term "impulse" in reference to a de- 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 233 

sire of the prospect; and trie term "motive" as a gen- 
eral expression including both conviction and impulse. 

APPEALS TO BUY 

It is the salesman's business to create "motives" 
within the prospect — both "convictions" and "im- 
pulses." He does this by presenting "appeals." 

Appeals are either "ideas" or "incitements." Ideas, 
to repeat, are logical appeals designed to build up or 
strengthen convictions within the prospect. Incite- 
ments, on the other hand, are emotional appeals and 
are designed to arouse impulses within the prospect. 

An idea. There does not seem to be any word which 
gives the exact meaning which is desired in this con- 
nection. The word "reason" comes very near to what 
is wanted, but it suggests an argument — the last thing 
to be brought into a sales interview when one is trying 
to convince another. The term "suggestion," as used 
by most writers, is too broad, including everything not 
argumentative — *.*., incitements and all other kinds of 
motivation. What is wanted is the method of leading 
a prospect from his established convictions on to a new 
phase of those convictions, as described in Lesson XVI. 
This is done by expressing ideas in words or gestures or 
drawings. In consequence, the word "idea" will be 
used to express the intellectual appeal designed to 
strengthen or change a prospect's convictions. 

An incitement is any situation which arouses an in- 
stinctive emotional response in an individual. The 
many situations presented in Lessons VIII to XIV 
which cause instinctive behavior are all "incitements." 
Nearly all the contents of Lessons V to XIV have been 



234 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

included here in order to acquaint the reader with the 
nature of incitements. The analysis of the International 
Correspondence School and Overland auto advertise- 
ments was for the purpose of making clear that an in- 
citement operates by "exploding a bomb ,, within the 
individual, by making him want to do something. The 
aroused activity may then be utilized by a salesman 
through "funneling" it to the desired action. 

Use of ideas and incitements in selling. Ideas for 
the purpose of convincing a prospect will seldom sell 
him. Nor will incitements for the purpose of impelling 
him sell him. The average man must be influenced 
through both ideas and incitements. 

An emotional appeal does not alone succeed because 
the average man resents such appeals. But if his mind 
is primarily occupied with reasons, he does not par- 
ticularly notice the emotional elements and conse- 
quently does not resent them. And so, unconscious of 
how the "incitements" are arousing his impulses, he 
gradually finds himself more and more interested; the 
reasons given by the salesman appear more and more 
to the point; and finally he buys. 

Take the case of Harrington and Alderson as an 
example. At line 338 Alderson says, "So, while your 
proposition is a good one, I don't believe I need it. 
Til leave my estate in trust and it will be reasonably 
sure. The percentage of losses on estates left in trust 
is negligible. " 

Harrington has established convictions as to the 
value of his proposition and has aroused Alderson 
through incitements to his love for his son, daughter, 
and wife. But what must he do at this point in order 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 235 

to close? Clearly, he must establish the conviction 
that there is a chance that Alderson's family may lose 
his estate through a trust company failure, and that 
the insurance proposition is absolutely safe. And he 
must still further incite Alderson to action. Read once 
again lines 342 to 387, Lesson II, to see how Harrington 
actually did use reasons and incitements in order to 
establish the needed conviction and to arouse the 
necessary impulses which would lead to acceptance of 
the proposition. 

In certain cases incitements alone are necessary. 
This is the case with children. Hence all the laws safe- 
guarding their actions. It is also the case with 
childlike individuals — people with low intelligence or 
defective mentality. The countless stories of negroes 
buying pianos for lean-to houses illustrate the point. 
The more childlike the individual, the less reasons are 
needed and the more direct the incitement may be; 
the more intelligent and mature the individual, the 
more reasons are needed and the more indirect the in- 
citements must be. But incitements are necessary in 
influencing the intellectual leaders of the country as 
well as the least intelligent. 

FURTHER DISCUSSION CONCERNING MOTIVES AND 
APPEALS 

In Section E, "The Tactics of Selling," a more de- 
tailed analysis of convictions and impulses will be pre- 
sented. At this point it is sufficient to consider the 
reasons and incitements which a salesman can utilize 
in selling a prospect, 



236 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

The remainder of this lesson is devoted to listing 
some incitements useful in selling insurance. Ideas to 
be employed in the same connection are presented in 
the following lesson. 



INCITEMENTS WHICH CAN BE USED IN SELLING 
INSURANCE 

The situations which can be utilized as incitements 
are listed in the order in which the instincts are dis- 
cussed in Lessons IX to XI and XIV. 

Fighting. When a prospect can carry a policy which 
he needs only by sacrificing some of his pleasures, the 
fighting instinct can be appealed to. Men like to do 
hard things when they are put up to them as such. If 
before interviewing a young man to take out an endow- 
ment policy {i.e., to save money) he were supplied with 
a copy of Elbert Hubbard's A Message to Garcia 
through mail, the whole sales interview could be moti- 
vated by a slight reference to Garcia. Men do not like 
to have it suggested that they can't do things, that 
they are afraid, because of this fighting instinct. Sto- 
ries of the success of great men who had to struggle 
during youth arouse a desire to emulate their example. 

The fighting and mastering instincts strengthen each 
other and can be appealed to at the same time in most 
instances. Ordinarily, the fighting instinct can be 
touched upon also when appealing to the sex and paren- 
tal instincts, since wife and children present situations 
which instinctively arouse the fighting instinct. The 
story of how proud Mrs. Blank was when her husband 
took out #5,000 insurance for her protection always 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 237 

carries the implication that Blank loves his wife more 
than the prospect does his, that Mrs. Blank can look 
down upon Mrs. Prospect. Consequently, the "soft 
pedal" must be used in relating the incident. But if 
the thought reaches Prospect's mind he will be stirred, 
for Blank and he are now rivals, and Mrs. Blank mustn't 
be allowed to feel superior to his wife. 

The securing of approving behavior toward us. 
1. Approval from friends and acquaintances. An illus- 
tration briefly told of how some public character has 
died, leaving no adequate support for his family, can 
be contrasted with another illustration where an indi- 
vidual has amply protected the family. More or less 
direct references to the different attitudes others assume 
toward these two can be mentioned. Following the 
death of a prominent member of a college faculty who 
left his family practically nothing, nearly every member 
of that faculty increased his insurance, because each 
realized the deplorable condition of the dead professor's 
family (sex and parental instincts aroused) and the 
reproach cast upon him by his neglect (scorn shown 
toward him and desire for approval for oneself). 

Another potent scheme is to get a friend of the pros- 
pect to write a letter of introduction in which he states 
that he has recently taken out more insurance and be- 
lieves the salesman has a particularly good proposition. 
Or a salesman, after obtaining the name of a prospect 
from a client, can open the interview something like 
this: "Mr. Prospect, I was in Mr. Client's office the 
other day and, in discussing his life insurance plans, he 
mentioned the fact that possibly you had not yet taken 
out all the protection for your family that you wanted. 



238 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

I feel under the circumstances that you would not ob- 
ject to my submitting a proposition that would fit your 
needs." (The implication indirectly expressed is that 
Mr. Client and the salesman will some day discuss the 
subject again, and Mr. Client will not approve Pros- 
pect's action if he does not at least carefully consider 
the matter.) 

2. Approval from salesman. This point will be en- 
larged upon in a later section dealing with securing a 
decision. It should be realized here, however, that the 
more the salesman conducts himself as a real man, 
worthy of respect and consideration, the more the 
prospect will want instinctively to obtain his approval. 
He will desire to treat him in a courteous manner, to 
respect his opinions, to consider his arguments, and to 
appear as one who acts, not upon the basis of "whim," 
but upon that of calmly reasoned-out procedure. Be- 
cause we do treat an old friend or acquaintance better 
than a stranger, many insurance salesmen make a point 
of getting acquainted with their prospects and possibly 
meeting them several times before broaching their 
business. 

Desire to avoid scornful behavior toward us. This 
is the reciprocal of securing favorable approval. The 
positive and pleasant side should always be played up. 
Sometimes, however, it is necessary to jar a prospect 
by hinting at the scorn that may be shown him for 
failure to buy. But this should be presented in a 
"touch-and-go" manner and be immediately followed 
by appeals to his desire for approval. 

Mastering instinct, leadership, pride. I. It can be 
shown that success in business can be brought nearer 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 239 

by eliminating worry — worry about one's family when 
one is dead, or about oneself in old age. 2. It can be 
pointed out how the certainty of greater capital in the 
future (through an endowment policy) will aid in suc- 
cessful undertakings. 3. Desire to do what other men 
have done can be stimulated, also the unwillingness to 
admit to oneself that one cannot accomplish what 
others do. 

Submission. I. Toward the salesman. Toward 
certain individuals we instinctively assume a submis- 
sive attitude. (See Lesson X.) When the salesman 
is of the type that secures such an attitude naturally, 
he is favored by more respectful attention and a greater 
desire to please than is merely shown under the instinct 
to secure favorable attention. 

Gowin 1 has called our attention to the extent to 
which the executive's success depends upon handling 
men and to the fact that, on the average, he is taller 
and heavier than other men. There is no question that 
those two facts are related — that physical size aids in 
controlling others through the operation of this in- 
stinct. Large salesmen should take advantage of this 
natural advantage of theirs. And smaller salesmen 
should endeavor so to carry themselves as not to lose 
any more advantage here than is necessary. They 
should remember also that there have been great lead- 
ers of men who have been undersized, like Alexander 
the Great, Napoleon, and Nelson, and that mental 
characteristics are after all more important than physi- 
cal ones in dominating others. 

To the extent that the salesman does command in- 

1 E, B, Gowin, The Executive <ind His Control of Men, 191 5, p. 332, 



2 4 o THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

stinctive submission from the prospect, to just that 
extent he can dispense with reasons and rely on direct 
and open appeals to instinctive impulses. In selling 
insurance to a negro servant it would be entirely fitting 
to throw argument almost entirely to the winds and 
tell him if he loves his wife and children he'll buy the 
insurance. The same holds true in the case of an elderly 
salesman of commanding personality dealing with 
young men. He can assume a fatherly attitude and 
talk very frankly and openly about the young man's 
wife and child. Remember in this connection that 
when one instinctively becomes submissive to another 
he thoroughly enjoys pleasing the other and in being 
submissive. 

2. Submission toward leaders. The recommendation 
of a physician makes us want to buy a breakfast food. 
But similar recommendations from a President or from 
royalty has much less effect, because we do not feel 
they are leaders (experts) in that subject. 1 Testimo- 
nials in behalf of life insurance from national leaders, 
like Harding, Taft, and Wilson, are valuable in influenc- 
ing men; also testimonials from men who are leaders 
in the prospect's own line of business, unless it happens 
that the prospect individually does not like them. The 
fact that the president of a company indorses insurance 
has more weight with his employees than the opinion 
of almost anyone else, because he is their leader in many 
other ways. 

Because this instinct of human beings to submit to 
others is less well understood than the others, consider 
this quotation from Scott: "Goods offered as means of 

1 The author's Relative Merit of Advertisements ; 191 1, pp. 39-40, 52-53, 60, 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 241 

gaining social prestige make their appeals to one of the 
most profound of the human instincts. In monarchies 
this instinct is regarded as a mere tendency to imitate 
royalty. In America, with no such excuse, the eager- 
ness with which we attempt to secure merchandise used 
by the * swell and swagger' is absurd, but it makes it 
possible for the advertiser to secure more responses 
than might otherwise be possible. As an illustration of 
this fact we need only to look at the successful adver- 
tisements of clothing, automobiles, etc. The quality of 
the goods themselves does not seem to be so important 
as the apparent prestige given by the possession of the 
goods." 1 

Gregariousness. This instinct can be appealed to 
in much the same way as indicated in the case of the 
submissive instinct. The technical difference is that in 
the case of the gregarious instinct the implication must 
be that everyone in the prospect's class is taking out 
insurance rather than that the leaders are doing so. 
This instinct was most effectively appealed to in the 
army in selling insurance which was optional with the 
men. They were given a short talk and the features of 
the proposition were pointed out to them. Then, after 
they had spent from two to three hours in undergoing 
their physical examinations and having about ten other 
forms checked or made out, they came to the insurance 
section. There they were greeted by, "Will you have 
ten or twenty thousand insurance?" The implication 
was they would take it, everyone around them was 
taking it, they had already said "Yes" to all the previ- 

1 W. D. Scott, Influencing Men in Business, 191 1, p. 133. Ronald Press 
Company. 



242 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

ous questions asked them and they said "Yes" here, 
or rather, "Ten thousand." If they said, "Twenty," 
it was explained with a grin that ten was the limit. 
Practically every man, except conscientious objectors, 
took out insurance and nearly all for $10,000. Before 
this scheme was put into operation, a considerable 
minority had to be "sold" insurance individually and 
many refused even then. This is the instinct that 
should be appealed to very strongly in inducing em- 
ployees of a firm to take out insurance when the man- 
agement has already shown an interest in the matter. 
Societies, particularly of the more poorly educated, 
can be swept off their feet and all members insured 
when the atmosphere has been sufficiently charged with 
the idea, "Everybody's doing it." 

(The ethics of all this may be questioned. Undoubt- 
edly much presented in this course could be utilized for 
unworthy ends. The same applies to the findings of 
every science. If we bear in mind, however, that true 
salesmanship involves "service," we will be able to sat- 
isfy those who question the advisability of giving forth 
such methods of handling others. Insurance is cer- 
tainly a great boon to mankind. But unless men made 
a business and a profit out of selling it, it would remain 
practically unknown to the world.) 

Sex. More insurance is sold through motivation on 
the basis of a man's love for his wife than on any other 
ground. In consequence, no insurance salesman will 
fail to have recourse to the appeal to this instinct. But 
it should be remembered that the instinct is very 
strong and is closely associated with the fighting in- 
stinct. In consequence, a stranger must be very tact- 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 243 

ful in appealing to a man to protect his wife. The 
prospect should be watched most carefully and any 
indication of annoyance or wrath should be the signal 
to change the subject to some less intimate topic. 
Later in the interview the appeal can be safely made. 
It is for this reason that the appeal in many cases has 
to be reserved until late in the interview and reliance 
must be based upon other motives to arouse initial 
interest and hold it. 

One of the annoying happenings in the life of a 
married man is to have his wife report that Smith's 
wife called and that Smith has taken out considerable 
insurance. Frequently Mrs. Smith has used the inci- 
dent consciously or unconsciously to crack up her hus- 
band. The married man is aroused by the implied 
rivalry between himself and Smith, by love for his wife, 
the desire to protect her from Mrs. Smith's attempt to 
lord it over her, and fear that his wife is scornful of him 
for not doing as well by her as Smith has done for Mrs. 
Smith. Insurance salesmen cannot possibly know of 
such incidents or dare touch upon them directly, but 
a very general implication that Mrs. Prospect will be 
glad to know he has taken out more insurance may 
touch off this complex situation and arouse surprising 
action. Combinations of sex and rivalry or sex and ap- 
proving attitude are often much more successful than 
sex appeals alone. 

Husbands differ greatly in the strength of their love 
for their wives. With one the slightest motivation in 
terms of his wife is sufficient to arouse all the activity 
desired. With others very little activity results. But 
all men know they should love their wives, even if they 



244 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

don't do so particularly, and not one will want to admit 
that he doesn't. Consequently, appeals to love of wife 
and pride, and approval of others, will move most hus- 
bands, whether they love deeply or not. 

Parental. A father does not ordinarily love his chil- 
dren to anything like the extent that he loves his wife. 
Neither is he instinctively jealous of the attention of 
other men to them as he is of attention shown to his 
wife. In consequence, an appeal to protect children 
can be made much more openly than an appeal to pro- 
tect the wife; and should be made much more exten- 
sively. Note how intimately Harrington discussed the 
welfare of Alderson's son and daughter, whereas his wife 
is hardly mentioned. Bagley appeals in much the 
same manner. He makes his appeal to another in- 
stinct which is very strong — i.e., an appeal to the ap- 
proval the son will display toward his father in the 
future. He says, "Is there anything else which would 
make him more appreciative of his father, anything 
else that would more surely tend to keep alive in his 
breast all his life a deep affection and high regard for the 
memory of his father?" etc. 

Appeal to the parental instinct very often is the best 
approach to the sex appeal. Harrington says, " You and 
Mrs. Alderson have, I am told, two children, etc. . . ." 
"And I haven't forgotten Mrs. Alderson, either. I've 
worked out a beautiful little triangular proposition 
that will enable you to complete your plans as to the 
future of your wife, your daughter, and your boy." 
An appeal is made to Alderson to protect his children. 
His wife is constantly referred to. Sooner or later, he 
will think, "My wife will think this is a good proposi- 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 245 

tion, for the children are well taken care of," and then, 
"If I do this, she will like it and be happy." 

Eating. In order to make the advantages of an en- 
dowment or old-age protection policy more striking, 
describe in just a few words the pleasure an old man 
would have in being able to continue to eat at his club, 
one famous perhaps for its beefsteak dinners. What is 
aimed at here is to contrast an unfortunate old age 
with a fortunate one. Both of these seem so very far 
away that they hardly can interest the prospect. But 
if the contrast is made in terms of very real and tangi- 
ble experiences of to-day, as, for example, in terms of 
codfish balls and turnips, on the one hand, and filet 
mignon and asparagus tips, on the other hand, the dif- 
ference can be vividly felt. 

Acquisition — Possession. Describe the pleasure of 
owning bonds and securities. Make the prospect's 
fingers itch to handle the policy, to own and to keep it 
with his other valuable papers. 

SUMMARY 

The prospect must be possessed of favorable motives 
before he will buy. These will consist of convictions as 
to the merits of the proposition and impulses as to the 
desirability of having insurance. 

The third and fourth steps in the strategy of selling 
are the determination of what convictions and impulses 
the prospect must have before he will buy. 

The fifth step in the strategy of selling is the selection 
of those appeals which develop within the prospect the 
needed convictions and impulses, Ideas will be em- 



246 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

ployed to develop convictions, and incitements to arouse 
impulses. 

The incitements given in the second part of this les- 
son are only a few of all that can be listed which arouse 
the desired instincts. The salesman should accumulate 
as many situations as he can that will arouse instinc- 
tive or acquired interests and thereby motivate his 
reasons. 

The salesman should not only accumulate as many 
illustrations, examples, and apt phrases as possible, 
but he must study what effect each one has upon his 
prospects. In other words, in planning his attack upon 
a man, where parental instinct is to be the major 
motive, he should have a supply of " situations" which 
he can weave into the argument so that his prospect 
will become more and more aroused. While doing so 
the salesman must watch the prospect and judge from 
his manner, tone of voice, and words what effect his 
motivation is having upon him. Just as a physician 
in a desperate case of sickness gives a heart stimulant 
and watches to see its effect, so a salesman must give 
"heart" stimulants and watch their effects. Through 
experience he learns, as does the physician, what to give 
and how much. 



ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON XVIII 

Write out your answers to the following questions : 

I. What is the final response you desire from a 
prospect ? 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 247 

2. What response must you get before you can 
hope to secure the final response ? 

3. What kinds of situations must be presented to 
secure such responses ? 

4. Define (a) motive, (b) conviction, (c) impulse, 
(d) appeal, (e) idea (or reason), (f) incitement. 

In booklet No. 1 ! of the series known as Knack of 
Selling, published in 191 3, we read the following 
statement: "Back of every mental decision a man or 
woman makes lies a motive. Back of every decision 
a man or woman makes that leaves him willing to 
buy something, lies one of these five particular 
motives : 

a. Gain of money. 

b. Gain of utility. 

c. Satisfaction of pride. 

d. Satisfaction of caution. 

e. Yielding of weakness." 

5. Is the above an adequate analysis of the mo- 
tives for buying? 

6. Are these five motives convictions or impulses ? 

7. Are they fundamental to the buying of insur- 
ance? If not, name other motives. 

8. What mistakes could a salesman make who re- 
lied exclusively upon these five motives? (Ask 
yourself whether each one is basic or merely 
secondary to some other motive.) 



LESSON XVIII. MOTIVES FOR BUYING LIFE 
INSURANCE (Continued) 

Possibly you have read the story of Old King Balti- 
more. 1 If you haven't you have missed an entertain- 
ing story illustrating the big point in the last lesson. 

Chief Umbala owned certain land that diamond ex- 
perts wanted. But he wouldn't sell for any price. 
Then appeared on the scene a bankrupt American cir- 
cus. Berry, the owner, agreed to secure the coveted 
land. He marched his circus out into the jungle and 
made a triumphant entry into the chief's stronghold. 
By the time the show was over the chief was impor- 
tuning him to accept some gift as a recognition of his 
friendship. 

"'Oh, it was easy,' laughed Berry afterward. 'It 
wasn't a tremendous hard job if you leave out the long 
haul an' the discomfort. Everything isn't money in 
this world. Lots of things have value in the other fel- 
low's eyes that you couldn't buy with an acre of gold 
dollars stacked one on top of the other. The value of 
anything only depends on how bad the other fellow 
wants it. And you don't know what he wants until 
you shake out your little bag of tricks and scatter 'em 
all over the floor. Then all you got to do is to watch 
which toy he picks up an' wants to play round with." 

1 L. B. Yates, "Old King Baltimore," in Saturday Evening Post, August 
30, 1919. Reprinted by permission. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 249 

Life insurance has no value or great value, depend- 
ing upon how you, the salesman, show it is valuable 
through skillful motivation, through appeals to the 
prospect's own interests. 

Two classes of appeals were distinguished in the 
preceding lesson: ideas and incitements. In addition, 
a number of incitements were listed which are basic to 
buying. 

Before proceeding to a consideration of ideas (rea- 
sons) for buying, it is worth while to consider for a few 
minutes what several other writers have recorded as to 
the fundamental motives underlying buying. 

DISCUSSION OF OTHER WRITERS AS REGARDS MOTIVES 
FOR BUYING 

Motives recognized in " Knack of Selling." In the 
assignment of the preceding lesson the five motives 
for buying recognized by Knack of Selling are listed. 
Wherein are they inadequate ? 

"Gain of money" and "gain of utility" are secondary 
considerations, not primary. Why I buy is more funda- 
mental than either of these. I want the money in order 
to get something I very greatly desire. Or I refuse to 
buy this thing, although I can see "a gain of money" 
in it for me, because I do not want to do the other things 
incident to the purchase. For example, a young man 
was offered a half share in a hardware store by his 
uncle. The offer represented several thousand dollars. 
But he did not take it because he could not imagine 
himself happy and contented running a retail store. 
There was no question of the gain here. But it hardly 



250 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

interested him at all. The story in Lesson X of 
the woman who would not buy the cheap piano and 
save $190 but did finally buy it and used the money 
for expensive piano lessons from Professor Habicht, 
also illustrates the point. Examples of this sort can 
be given by anyone almost without end. Yet, strangely 
enough, most business men act upon the theory that 
"gain of money" will sell anything. 

The same is true of "gain of utility. ,, Here the fal- 
lacy of the supposition that "gain of utility" is funda- 
mental is even more evident, for we are not interested 
in utility except as a means to some other satisfaction. 
It is related that in many business houses in London 
to-day typewriters are not used at all — that all letters 
are written out longhand. "Utility" is clearly here 
secondary to something else or it would have won out 
long ago. The absence of utility devices in the average 
kitchen illustrates also how inferior this motive is with 
women as regards saving them work. They would 
rather cook in the old familiar way and spend money 
on something that makes a show (to win approval) 
than change and thereby shorten their cooking labors 
and not have the dress, hat, etc., for themselves or 
family. 

"Satisfaction of Caution" as described in Knack 
of Selling is illustrated in the buying of summer 
clothes before cold weather is over, "because the best 
styles or fabrics may be sold out before warm weather," 
or in the buying of accident insurance because one may 
be run over next week. On analysis of these or similar 
cases the motive will be found a decidedly mixed one. 
Unless one takes a pride in one's appearance the appeal 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 251 

to buy the choice style is meaningless. Unless one has 
a dread of a city hospital or of being dependent on one's 
relatives, an accident insurance policy has no great 
charm. Caution, then, is not a definite motive for 
buying, as it covers many different motives which may 
differ with different prospects. 

The motive of caution has been used by some in an 
entirely different sense from that above — namely, ass 
equivalent to the elimination of objections to buying. 
For example, a gentleman after considerable experience 
has come to realize that he is likely to become rattled 
when a new proposition is made him. In consequence, 
he has developed the habit of refusing to sign any paper 
involving an entirely new proposition until he has "slept 
on it." "Satisfaction of caution" in his case does not 
represent at all a motive for buying; rather, it is an 
obstacle to buying he has set up to safeguard himself. 
In his case it must be eliminated before he will buy a 
new commodity or service involving any considerable 
amount of money. 

"Satisfaction of Pride," on the other hand, is a fun- 
damental motive for buying. It is an expression of the 
instincts to master and to receive favorable attention. 

The "Yielding of Weakness" is also a fundamental 
motive for buying. A masterful salesman reduces the 
buyer instinctively to submission, and because of his 
submission the buyer buys. He buys because he wishes 
to gain approval from the salesman; not the com- 
modity or service itself is he buying, but the favorable 
attitude of the salesman. We have all bought under 
these circumstances, and in most of such cases we have 
waked up after the salesman has gone and "cussed" 



252 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

ourselves out for a fool and resolved to have no further 
dealings with that salesman, his house, or his goods. 
(This topic will be discussed further under the heading 
of "Closing the Sale"— Lesson XXXI.) 

Motives recognized by Whitehead. In Chapter II 
of Principles of Salesmanship, published in 1917, White- 
head lists the following motives : 

1. Desire for gain. 

2. Desire to excel. 

3. Appeal to caution. 

4. Desire for knowledge. 

5. Appeal to imitation. 

6. Appeal to affection. 

7. Love of praise. 

8. Pleasure of possession. 

This is a much better list. But Whitehead mixes 
habits based on instincts with fundamental instincts. 
In discussing "Desire for Gain," he says: "The strong- 
est of all buying motives is the desire for gain. We are 
willing to spend money in order to make money. There- 
fore, this is the most dominant of all commercial in- 
stincts and its satisfaction is the main motive which 
actuates business." 1 And again he says: "Whenever 
a sale is made for business as distinguished from per- 
sonal use, the appeal to the desire for gain comes first 
in importance and is the primary motive on which the 
argument should be based." 2 

Whitehead is correct here in one sense. In business, 
gain is a more universal motive than in personal affairs. 
But even here it is not always strong enough to over- 

1 H. Whitehead, Principles of Salesmanship, 1917, p. 15. 

2 Ibid., p. 16. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 253 

come the inertia of old-established customs, as in the 
case of the use of typewriters in England. 

It may be pointed out in this connection that al- 
though all men work for the sake of what they can 
make, they do not all work for all that they can make. 
After a certain point other gratifications are preferred 
to further gain. In the South a negro cook will prefer 
to work half a day and live in a squalid hut rather than 
work all day and enjoy a decent habitation. So, also, 
most salesmen do far less work than they are capable 
of because further gain does not appeal to them. 

If we keep clearly in mind that desire for gain is a 
secondary consideration in life and that wherever it is 
possible to do so we should appeal directly to the 
primary underlying instincts, we will not be led 
astray by Whitehead's remarks. For example, White- 
head himself reports a sales interview, 1 in which the 
price was O.K. and the quality of goods was all right, 
but the sale would not have been made if the salesman 
had not appealed to "rivalry " and "pride" — i.e., if he 
had not stated that he had come to the city to establish 
an agency and if the prospects did not accept his offer 
he would be compelled to offer it to their competitors. 
Appeals to "gain" and "quality of goods" were 
unavailing because they involved taking on a new line 
of goods which meant some inconvenience. But appeals 
to "desire to excel" and "rivalry" stirred up the 
activity necessary to overcome the inertia of the buyers. 

This illustrates the difference in point of view 
between Knack of Selling or Whitehead and this 
course. They look upon "desire for gain" as funda- 

1 H. Whitehead, Principles of Salesmanship, 19 17, pp. 319-327. 



254 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

mental; we, as secondary. They write as though that 
motive alone will arouse desire. It will in many busi- 
ness deals where desire for the commodity already 
exists. But it will not arouse desire when the com- 
modity or service is new. Then more fundamental in- 
stinctive desires must be aroused to activity. 

"Desire to Excel," "Appeal to Imitation," "Appeal 
to Affection," "Love of Praise," and "Pleasure of 
Possession," are all fundamental. They are here re- 
ferred to under the headings respectively of Mastery; 
Gregariousness; Mating or Parental, as the case may 
be; Approval; and Possession. 

It is not clear exactly what is meant by "Appeal to 
Caution." Whitehead says: "Caution is the primary 
motive to which an appeal should be made in the sale 
of anything which guards against loss, injury, or danger. 
Caution is the mainspring in the purchase of all forms 
of insurance. The father of a family wishes to protect 
his wife and children against want in the event of his 
death ; the owner of a house takes out insurance to pro- 
tect himself against loss of fire; the business man buys 
bonds in prosperous times to provide against financial 
difficulties in hard times." 1 As used here "Caution" 
reduces itself to the Mating or Parental Instinct, or 
"Saving Money." The former is, of course, funda- 
mental, and the second very intimately based on in- 
stinctive action but always secondary. So far White- 
head's motive is sound. But why not reduce it to its 
basic elements; and more important, why not state it 
positively and not negatively? Whitehead himself 
warns against the use of negative suggestions. 2 When 

1 H. Whitehead, op. cit. y p. 17. 2 Ibid., pp. 63, 180. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 255 

we "caution" a person we tell him to go slow, to act 
only after consideration. Such admonitions are the last 
things in the world a salesman wants to present. It is 
difficult enough to secure activity without doing any- 
thing to check such action. In consequence, let us 
neither present any appeal in a negative way nor even 
think of it in that way, else we unconsciously so present it. 

"Desire for Knowledge" is not instinctive, at least 
to any considerable extent. We do show an interest in 
the "why" and "how" and "what" of things, espe- 
cially in early life. But anyone who has taught knows 
that learners always view learning as work, not play. 
Appeals based on desire for knowledge only grip a per- 
son when the knowledge represents a way out of a 
present difficulty which is annoying and leads to a 
more instinctive satisfaction. Consequently the "an- 
noyingness of the present state" and the "satisfying- 
ness of the future state" are the appeals to use, not 
"knowledge." 

Motives recognized by Hawkins. 1 Hawkins goes 
farther in his analysis of motives than do the other two 
earlier writers. He writes in 1918 as follows: 

"There are but four major classes of dominant buy- 
ing motives, and a few subdivisions under each head 
will enable the salesman to cover nearly every case he 
encounters in his work." They are: 

1. Buying motives as to business. 

a. Desire of personal advantage. 

b. Desire of increased influence. 

c. Interests of house above personal interests. 

d. Saving of time. 

1 N. A. Hawkins, The Selling Process, 191 8, pp. 193, 194. 



256 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

2. Buying motives as to money. 

a. Money-making. 

b. Money-saving. 

c. Love of spending. 

3. Buying motives as to physical nature. 

a. Avoiding exertion. 

b. Liking comfort. 

c. Self-gratification. 

4. Buying motives as to higher nature. 

a. Love of beauty. 

b. Affection. 

c. Love of service. 

These thirteen motives can be rearranged in this way : 

1 . Mastering and Securing Approval Instincts. 

a. Personal advantages. 

b. Increased influence. 

c. Love of spending (other instincts involved 
depending upon circumstances). 

2. Submissive Instinct. 

a. Interest of house above personal interests 
(securing approval, etc.). 

3. Sex Instinct. 

a. Love of beauty. 

b. Affection (also under Parental). 

4. Parental. 

a. Love of service (involves securing approval, 
etc.). 

5. Ease of Body and Mind. (Note material under 

heading of "Inertia" in Lesson XIV.) 

a. Avoiding exertion. 

b. Liking comfort. 

c. Self-gratification, 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 257 

6. Secondary Motives. Based on a complex of many 
instincts, the complex varying with each par- 
ticular case. 

a. Money-making. 

b. Money-saving. 

c. Saving of time. 

Such a reorganization shows that Hawkins has given 
us ten real motives for buying and three others which 
operate as real motives in ordinary business trans- 
actions. 

The disadvantage of Hawkins's classification (not 
the motives themselves) is that it directs attention to 
the wrong elements in making an appeal. For example, 
in appealing to "desire for personal advantage" there 
is no need to talk "business," as Hawkins indicates, 
but there is need to hint at "struggling against odds," 
"approval of others, particularly competitors, and 
their desire to beat you." And again in appealing to 
"interests of house above personal interests" it is not 
the interests of the house (the business) that should be 
aimed at in the appeal to the buyer, but the personali- 
ties who make up the house. We are not particularly 
loyal to a concern, but to human beings. That is why 
government employees usually are actuated by fewer 
lofty ideals than employees of a small business; they 
cannot be loyal every day in the year to an impersonal 
concern as they can be to the "boss." (Of course, this 
motive operates only where the boss is looked up to.) 

Motives recognized in this book. Our desires hark 
back to our instinctive interests. In addition, many 
acquired interests play a part in dominating and direct- 
ing our behavior. But they are never so strong as the 



258 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

instinctive interests from which they developed. In 
selling luxuries or amusements, almost any motive can 
be appealed to because the prospect already wants the 
commodity or service and merely desires to justify his 
action to himself or his friends. But in selling insurance 
we can be reasonably sure that no one really wants it 
and that he does want many other things which he 
cannot buy, for lack of money. Therefore, in selling 
insurance the salesman must utilize the strongest and 
most fundamental interests possessed by the prospect 
in order to arouse sufficient interest and to secure 
acceptance of his proposition. 

IDEAS TO BE PRESENTED IN SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 

First of all, keep in mind the distinction between 
ideas (reasons) and incitements. Ideas are openly pre- 
sented, as a prospect must be made to feel that insur- 
ance is a reasonable proposition. But few will buy be- 
cause of reasons. Incitements are indirectly presented, 
as the prospect must not realize that you are playing 
upon his emotions. But only through arousing his 
instinctive desires can you make him ready to act. 
Incitements are the fuses which touch of "bombs" within 
the life of the prospect. Ideas "funnel" the activity to the 
desired act of signing the application blank. 

It is true that an incitement and an idea often seem 
to overlap. For example, "Buy insurance to protect 
your children after your death" is in a sense both in- 
citement and reason. But it will be handled differently 
in its two aspects; as an incitement, details will be 
presented to stir up the prospect's love for his children; 






SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 259 

as an idea, there will be a straightforward discussion of 
the chances of his death and the needs of the children. 
The incitement will strengthen the reason and the rea- 
son the incitement, but they have separate functions 
and affect the prospect differently. 

The ideas which convince one that he should buy 
life insurance in outline form are: 

1. Protection: 

a. Wife. 

b. Children. 

c. Self, (a) against old age. 

(b) against disability. 

(c) against emergency (loan value of 
policy). 

(d) against worry. 

d. Company (official insured by company). 

2. Save money: 

a. Capital to be used later. 

b. Asset, basis for credit. 

3. Safe investment : 

a. Corporate trusteeship — principal and inter- 
est guaranteed. 

b. Not a money-making proposition. (Mutual 
companies.) 

c. Companies supervised by state Insurance 
Department. 

d. Earnings of companies very stable. 

4. Other people take out insurance : 

a. Amount of insurance in force, etc. 

b. Testimonials of others. 
18 c. Reference to friends. 



2 6o THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

5. Miscellaneous: 

a. Send boy to college. 

b. Cover mortgage on house, etc. 

6. Cost constantly reduced: 

a. Premiums decrease each year. 

b. Premiums pay up insurance in less time. 

7. Immediate need: 

a. You may not pass physical examination later. 

b. May die prematurely. 

8. Provides an income — not lump sum. 1 

These ideas are strong or weak, depending on how 
intimately they are based on an instinct or related 
interest. 

"Saving" is particularly weak. Hawkins expresses 
this truth very well when he writes, "A man who saves 
his employer money in the office or the factory is not 
so well paid for his services as is the salesman who in- 
creases his employer's volume of business with corre- 
sponding increase in profit. A man loses his purse and 
you find it. He thanks you sincerely and rather grudg- 
ingly gives you a small reward. You show that man 
how to make exactly the same amount of money that 
was in his purse, and he'll hunt you u pto pay you a 
quarter or a third or half of his profits. Human nature 
doesn't believe that a penny saved is the same as a 
penny earned." 2 

The salesman should prepare several well-worded 
portions of selling talks which bring out each of the 
nine points given above, so that he can discuss any one 



1 A thorough discussion of the reasons why a prospect needs insurance is 
presented in Human Needs and Life Insurance, by Griffin M. Lovelace. 
2 N. A. Hawkins, The Selling Process, 1918, p. 23. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 261 

of them with different types of prospects. These " bits " 
of a sales interview should not be memorized so that, 
once started upon a paragraph, the salesman has to 
finish or lose his place, but they should be gone over 
sufficiently so that the phrases and sentences can be 
given freely and easily and without requiring full atten- 
tion to them. For a salesman must be attending to 
three things when engaged in selling: (1) he must con- 
duct a well-thought-out argument; (2) he must con- 
tinually motivate the argument; and (3) he must 
continually adjust his interview to the responses the 
prospect is making to what has been presented. 

The reasons should further be developed so as to in- 
clude as many "key words" as possible to the habits of 
thought of the prospect. For example, in discussing 
the advantages of having money saved up, one may 
refer to it as "money saved up/' "deposit on hand," 
"sinking fund," "asset for credit," "asset to borrow 
on," "money on hand for emergency," or "accumulated 
wealth." 

All these phrases mean approximately the same thing, 
and yet a careful study of the responses different indi- 
viduals will make to them will show that they differ 
widely. As there is no way of knowing which one of 
such a series of phrases will be effective, it is well to 
have considerable facility in employing many of them. 

REASONS FOR BUYING INSURANCE FROM A PARTICULAR 

COMPANY 

Incitements, as well as reasons, are sometimes neces- 
sary in order to "sell" a prospect one's own company. 



262 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

But ordinarily the same motivation that led a prospect 
to enough activity to buy insurance will suffice to lead 
him to buy from your company. 

The reasons that may be advanced are pretty largely 
the general reasons why any business concern should 
be favored over its rivals. In outline form they are : 

1. Well known. 

2. Business standing: large concern, large capital, 
large surplus, etc. 

3. Wide distribution of agencies, risks not concen- 
trated. 

4. Recommended by friends or leaders. 

5. Special features — particular policy, etc. 

6. Cheap rate — save money. 

a. Low initial cost. 

b. Low maintenance — large dividends. 

7. Conservative — (costs more). 

8. Patronizes home industry (applies in home city 
or state of company, or to domestic company 
versus foreign one). 

9. Service. 

10. Health — physical examinations, bulletins, etc. 

11. Nonmoney-making (does not apply to nonmutual 
companies). 

Occasionally, there are prospects who will agree to 
take out insurance, but will not insure in your com- 
pany. One gentleman worked for an insurance com- 
pany as a boy and was "fired," he feels, quite unjustly. 
He will not buy insurance from that company. Another 
has lost money in a bank failure and has developed the 
habit of business administration of not putting all his 
eggs in one basket. Consequently, he will not take 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 263 

more than $2,000 in one company. Other illustrations 
might be advanced. In nearly every case such pros- 
pects can be persuaded to take your company's policy, 
provided their real objection to the company can be 
discovered and answered. 



ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON XIX 

1. Write out in outline form (a) the ideas and (b) 
the incitements which caused Penrod to steal his 
sister's letter. (See Appendix.) 

2. Write out similarly the ideas and incitements em- 
ployed by Collins in selling Hudson. (See Les- 
son XVI.) 



SECTION C. STRATEGY OF SELLING 

Having considered the motives as to why a per- 
son buys life insurance, we are ready to apply all 
this to the strategy of selling insurance. Strategy, 
to repeat, has reference to the generalship, the 
preparation for selling. In Section E, "The Tac- 
tics of Selling" will be considered — i.e., the steps 
that are necessary in order to carry out the strat- 
egy. Between these two sections we shall stop 
for a brief period and take into account what the 
strategy and tactics of the buyer will be. For he 
has a purpose more or less consciously in mind 
when he admits you to his presence. 

As we have said, the strategy of selling insur- 
ance involves the solution of five problems: 

1. Prospect: To whom am I selling? Lesson 

XIX. 

2. Proposition: Exactly what am I selling? 

Lesson XX. 

3. Convictions: What convictions must the 

prospect have before he will buy? Les- 
son XXI. 

4. Impulses: What impulses must the prospect 

have before he will buy? Lesson XXII. 

5. Appeals: What reasons and incitements must 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 265 

I present so that the prospect will have the 
desired convictions and impulses and con- 
sequently will buy? Lesson XXIII. 
Expressed in terms of earlier lessons, the strategy 
involves a detailed analysis of (a) the responses de- 
sired from the prospect and (b) the situations that 
must be presented to him in order to secure those 
responses. 

Lessons V to XVIII have emphasized certain gen- 
eral principles necessary for understanding selling. 
The foundation has been laid and we now begin the 
consideration of the strategy of selling in detail. 

In Lesson I, the strategy and tactics of selling 
Barnes were presented, and in Lessons III and IV 
a similar study was made of Alderson. The reader 
should review this material at this point to refresh 
his mind as to the scope of those topics. Many of 
the fine points of the selling game which were un- 
noticed before should now be appreciated. In 
fact, there is nothing the reader can do at this point 
which will so surely advance his grasp of the sub- 
ject as to go over these first four lessons very care- 
fully before advancing to Lesson XIX. 



LESSON XIX. WHO IS MY PROSPECT? 1 

" ' Did you ever go into a courtroom and see two law- 
yers arguing a case? Yes, of course you have. And 
did you ever stop to realize how much preparation these 
two lawyers gave to the case before coming into the 
courtroom? Do you believe that these two lawyers 
could come into the courtroom on a case unless they 
had made some study of the problem of the client and 
the situation surrounding the suit which was brought, 
beforehand? Therefore, it is just as reasonable to sup- 
pose that if you are going to be good life insurance men 
you must give much attention to the preparation of 
your canvass.' 

"This man has absolutely hit the nail on the head. 
I believe to-day that successful canvassing is at least 
80 per cent preparation and 20 per cent presentation, 
in cases larger than #2,000 or #3,000. Of course the 
smaller cases are nothing but hit-or-miss propositions, 
but when we go after a man with the idea of taking 
#100 to $1,000 away from him, we have got to be suffi- 
ciently in possession of definite information concerning 
him and his habits so that we know how much insurance 
to suggest and on what plan." 2 

1 Many angles of this topic lie outside the scope of this text. They are 
amply covered in Selling Life Insurance, by J. A. Stevenson, and Human 
Needs and Life Insurance, by Griffin M. Lovelace. 

2 E. G. Manning, The Manning System of Selling Life Insurance, 1919, 

P- 37- 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 267 

TO WHOM SHALL I SELL? 

Every salesman unconsciously selects certain classes 
of men to whom to sell. On reading the local newspaper, 
or overhearing conversations, or meeting men, he de- 
cides whether or not So-and-so is a prospect for him. 
The salesman who is ambitious and desirous of large 
rewards for his time should carefully analyze himself 
as to his preferences and determine which are based on 
mere whims, prejudices, and superstitions, and which 
are grounded on substantial reasons. For example, 
one salesman reports he cannot sell to brunettes. Such 
a notion is ridiculous. But, of course, as long as he 
thinks he can't sell, he just can't. 

One successful salesman has concentrated on print- 
ers in a large city. He knows the business and the men 
engaged in it so thoroughly that he has a great advan- 
tage in dealing with them. Still another salesman re- 
stricts his energies to the clerical force of large business 
houses in a certain section of the city within easy walk- 
ing distance of his office. Since these two men started 
they have wasted very little of their time in hunting 
prospects: they have steadily added to their list of 
prospects through recommendations or introductions 
from men they had already sold. 

In smaller cities, salesmen are naturally forced to 
sell to a more diversified group. But even there it will 
be found that most salesmen sell to a fairly well-defined 
group. The more clearly and consciously the salesman 
establishes in his mind to whom he is selling, the easier 
it will be for him to add to his list of prospects. For if 
be determines, for example, to sell to all physicians, 



268 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

then every new one locating in his territory is immedi- 
ately hunted up and interviewed, regardless of whether 
he is big or small, rich or poor. 

As the salesman gains more and more experience 
and greater and greater confidence, he very properly 
enlarges his group of prospects until he may eventually 
sell to almost anyone whom he meets. The young sales- 
man, however, will find it easier to establish definite 
groups and then force himself to sell to every man be- 
longing in the group. 

THE " PICTURE " OF THE PROSPECT 

Having obtained the name and address of a possible 
prospect, the next step is to obtain a "picture" of him. 
By this is meant as clear a description of the prospect's 
interests, responsibilities, and characteristics as pos- 
sible. There is no best way of getting this information. 
All methods need to be used and even then much in- 
formation will be lacking in a great many cases. 

As examples of such pictures, turn back to Lesson I 
and note the picture Bagley had drawn up of Barnes 
before he called upon him: Similarly, note Harrington's 
picture of Alderson (Lesson II) and Collins's picture of 
Hudson (Lesson XVI). Without such information 
much time would have been lost by these three sales- 
men in presenting reasons and incitements not ap- 
propriate to the several prospects. And they might 
have lost their sales through failure to touch the right 
spot. Barnes was really an easy mark because of his 
interest in a college education for his boy. Several 
salesmen had previously failed to sell him because they 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 269 

did not discover this " key " to his interest. In the same 
way, Alderson would most likely have "escaped" from 
Harrington if the latter had not utilized Alderson's in- 
terest in trust companies. 

Many salesmen make it a practice to call upon a 
prospect in order to get acquainted with him before 
attempting to sell him. This is without question a 
very valuable practice. A few salesmen openly state 
to the prospect that they represent such-and-such an 
insurance company, but that they have no intention 
of selling at that time. They add that they have called 
in order to obtain from the prospect information as to 
what his needs are so that they can intelligently draw 
up a proposition which will fit those needs. This intro- 
duction frequently opens the way to a very frank dis- 
cussion of the financial condition of the prospect — just 
what is most needed by the salesman before drawing 
up his plans. 

Three aspects of the prospect should be noted in 
working up the "picture" of him. They are his needs, 
his interests, and his personal characteristics. 

Needs of the Prospect. Griffin M. Lovelace is 
rendering a great service to the insurance fraternity in 
developing this topic — the needs of the prospect. When 
a commodity or service is sold on the basis of actual 
bona-fide needs, the salesman renders a real service. 
The prospect knows he has been benefited, the sales- 
man knows he has helped make the world better, and 
a real professional service arises. 

The salesman should determine, as the most impor- 
tant aspect of the "picture," what the actual needs of 
the prospect are that can be served by insurance. Then 



270 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

in terms of these needs, he should develop the proposi- 
tion to be presented. This aspect may be thought of 
as the economic side of the picture. 

Interests of the Prospect. It is most important, in 
the second place, to know the interests of the prospect, 
for a sale can be made only in terms of the prospect's 
interests. This is the main point of this book. 

How shall "needs" and "interests" be harmonized, 
since usually they do not agree? All of us are inter- 
ested in and want things we do not need, and as fre- 
quently do not desire what is best for us, often not even 
knowing what our real needs are. The true salesman 
will sell a client what he needs, but he will do it in 
terms of his interests. He will translate "needs" into 
"interests." 

Some feel that to use psychology is underhanded or 
tricky, if not worse. This is a one-sided view of the 
subject. All knowledge can be and often is used for un- 
worthy ends. But that does not mean that the knowl- 
edge itself is bad. The individual who so misuses it is 
false to society and to his own ideals. The individual 
who fails, on the other hand, to use any bit of knowledge 
that will help him in "putting over" a worthy end is 
equally false to the needs of society. This book aims to 
tell a salesman something as to how human beings 
think and feel in order that they may be more easily 
influenced. If the service is needed by the prospect, 
the quicker and more enthusiastically he takes it the 
better for all. If the service is not needed, the salesman 
is false to society in trying to sell the. prospect. This 
statement applies just as much to influencing a man to 
join a church, go to college, buy Liberty Bonds, do his 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 271 

duty at the front, or support civic enterprises as it does 
to buying insurance. 

Scientific selling means selling to an individual — to 
a prospect whom you have sized up and to whom you 
are presenting an appeal which fits his particular needs 
in terms of his interests. 

Personal Characteristics of the Prospect. Little 
can be said to-day about sizing up another in terms of 
his appearance, and so determining his ability or per- 
sonality. There are many so-called systems on the 
market and most persistently advertised. But these 
systems are all different, making it perfectly apparent 
that in any case all but one must be false. And no liv- 
ing soul can tell which system is the perfect one, or 
even if any one is. Indeed, the theories back of these 
systems have all been exploded years ago by painstak- 
ing scientists. Nevertheless, all of the following are in 
use by Americans in hiring employees and pretty much 
in handling them afterward: "astrology; augury; 
chance as manifested in drawing of straws, casting of 
lots, or the flipping of a coin; chirography; chiro- 
mancy; clairvoyance; Dr. Katherine Blackford's sys- 
tem of character analysis; divination; fortune telling; 
graft; horoscope; intuition; magic; mediums; mind 
reading; necromancy; nepotism; omens; occultism; 
oracles; palmistry; phrenology; premonitions; sooth- 
saying; sorcery; sortilege; subconscious 'hunches'; stig- 
mata; talisman; and telepathy." 1 

The writer is firmly convinced that there is no con- 
stant relationship between any type of mental activity 
and the color of hair or eyes, length of nose or chin, etc. 

1 W, D, Scott, Lecture Notes, Northwestern University, 19 19. 



272 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

It is quite possible, on the other hand, that the move- 
ment of muscles, causing frowns, smiles, twitchings of 
the eyes, etc., may in the future be shown to be related 
to certain mental characteristics. But no results of 
scientific value are in existence along this line to-day. 1 

A valuable contribution to this subject from the 
standpoint of selling is given by Hawkins in The Selling 
Process, Chapter VII. He emphasizes the fact that the 
prospect can best be understood through the words he 
utters, the tone of his voice, and his movements. All 
these are symbols standing for the ideas and feelings 
within the prospect. They cannot be taken at their 
face value, but must be interpreted. 

Salesmen should train themselves to watch the move- 
ments of others. At the theater, occasionally stop 
yourself from merely following the play and note the 
gestures and tones of voice used by the players. Years 
ago the writer had an English teacher who always ad- 
vanced up the aisle when one was making a good recita- 
tion and retreated when one was off the subject. It 
was easy to make a good recitation. Most individuals 

1 There are in existence to-day a good many so-called systems for sizing 
up a person. Most of them are based on theories which scientific investiga- 
tion has proved to be untenable. The most interesting thing about them is 
the extent to which Barnum's adage is true to-day, "The public wants to be 
fooled." Two dollars will buy forty-six pages, for example, of such infor- 
mation as this: "The Negro manifests all the characteristics of the 'Dark' 
force." . . . "The 'Dark' type having less love of publicity and greater feel- 
ing of personal responsibility, do not seek the public places, but are inclined 
to industrious pursuits and are much less luxury-loving. Their tendency is 
to take life more seriously" (than the Swedes, typical of the extreme " Light" 
type). "They are students, investigators, plodders; and it is to this type 
that we owe almost all technical learning, patient research, and scientific 
discoveries." 

For a more extended discussion of this whole subject, see H. L. Holling- 
worth, Vocational Psychology, 1916. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 273 

do not show such decided movements, but nearly all 
lean forward slightly when in agreement, straighten up 
and look intent when puzzled, and show twitchings of 
some sort when annoyed. Recently the writer guided 
his remarks in talking with a business man by the rate 
at which the latter swung his foot back and forth. The 
faster it went the more I felt he disagreed. 

Many executives group men into types such as quick 
and slow, outside and inside men, optimistic and pessi- 
mistic, unassuming and self-important, and the like. 
The scientific view 1 is that individuals cannot be 
divided into two groups in this way, but that the great 
majority are to be found neither in one group nor in 
the other, but halfway between. Only the exceptional 
man is markedly quick or slow, optimistic or pessimis- 
tic, etc. Some day science may give us practical help 
in analyzing men, and furthermore show us how to use 
the knowledge after we get it. 

HOW UTILIZE INFORMATION ABOUT A PROSPECT? 

On the basis of all the information before you con- 
cerning a prospect, jot down the instincts which can be 
utilized to advantage in influencing him, also the ac- 
quired interests. For example, if Mr. Carson is prin- 
cipal of a high school, has a wife and small boy whom 
he usually has with him in his auto, does not own his 
house, does not go to church or belong to clubs, then 
base your sales talk upon educational problems, wife, 
son, auto, etc. 

Second, if he is known to be good-natured, easy- 

1 Refer again to page 178 where this subject was touched upon. 



274 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

going, plan to take the matter up with him accordingly. 
If, on the other hand, he is nervous, irritable, and un- 
able to talk long on any subject, plan to play up the son 
or wife from the very start, throwing yourself into the 
presentation with sufficient enthusiasm to force him to 
follow you. Further, plan to present the proposition 
in a scrappy manner, emphasizing one point and then 
another, but not particularly in a logical order, thereby 
giving the impression of constantly changing the sub- 
ject, yet all the time making the whole proposition clear 
and attractive. 

The writer believes that the most valuable point to 
concentrate on in sizing up men is to note their inter- 
ests. Then appeal to those interests. As instinctive 
interests are common to all men, they can always be 
used, except when it is known they are dormant, as, 
for example, when a man is suing for divorce, it is use- 
less to appeal to his love for his wife. 

In addition to utilizing a man's interests, it is ex- 
tremely valuable to study his responses to what is 
presented. Only in that way can one shift one's pres- 
entation so as to drop topics apparently uninteresting 
and to introduce other topics. 

The reader has been given some drill (i) in determin- 
ing responses to situations (in connection with the study 
of Penrod and instincts) and (2) in observing instinc- 
tive and acquired interests. Constant attention to these 
two factors will bring a big reward in the understanding 
and the handling of men and women. 

When all is said and done, personal idiosyncrasies 
are much less important than the matter of the pros- 
pect's interests. Whether a man is an angel or a villain, 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 275 

he will listen if you are telling him things in which he is 
vitally interested. 



ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON XX 

To what class of men are you selling? Write down 
a description of the class. Are you soliciting all men 
in that class, or are you dodging certain individuals? 
If the latter, what kinds of men do you avoid? Why? 
Are your reasons sound? 

Call to mind the names of three persons well known 
to you. Write out as complete a "picture" of them as 
you can. Note in addition such other information that 
you do not have which you now feel you should have in 
order properly to approach them. (Note. — The word 
"picture" is used in the sense employed on the first 
page of the sales interview between Bagley and 
Barnes.) 

19 



LESSON XX. EXACTLY WHAT IS MY 
PROPOSITION?* 

The answer to this question is not merely "life 
insurance." 

Before calling upon the prospect, the salesman 
should have definitely determined the kind of policy he 
wishes the prospect to take out, and the amount. This, 
of course, can be done only if the salesman has been 
able to obtain enough information about the prospect 
to size him up. Scientific selling presupposes just this. 

It is the business of a salesman in any line of business 
to find out what his customer needs and to present the 
best he has to fill that need. And if he has nothing 
suitable, he should say so and suggest where it can be 
obtained. The insurance salesman will not call upon a 
prospect if he does not believe he has a good proposition 
for him. Consequently, when he does call, it should be 
because he has a definite business proposition to make. 
All his energies throughout the sale should be concen- 
trated on that one thing. This is the real art of selling. 

Many of the most successful life insurance salesmen 
not only determine just what the proposition is they 
wish to present, but they go farther and have it pre- 

1 Here again many angles of this topic lie outside ..the scope of this text. 
For a complete discussion, see Life Insurance Fundamentals^ by Griffin 
M. Lovelace. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 277 

pared in a neat form and present it to the prospect at a 
strategic moment during the sales interview. Note 
how Harrington had such a plan written out before 
calling on Alderson (Lesson II). But Harrington did 
not feel it necessary to present the proposition until 
late in the interview and so did not submit the type- 
written statement, but wrote it out on a slip of paper 
as he talked. As a general rule, a formal presentation 
is best at the beginning of a sales interview, and an in- 
formal presentation later. 

REASONS FOR PREPARING A DEFINITE PLAN IN 
ADVANCE 

Selling is like playing chess. The salesman has the 
white pieces and makes the first move. Thereafter 
there is an alternation of moves between him and the 
prospect. If the salesman keeps the lead (the attack), 
he is likely to win. But, if he loses the attack, the 
chances are against his being able to recover his former 
advantage and to secure the coveted signature. 

The chess player who plans merely move by move 
may play a good game, but he will lose nearly every 
time to the player who sees several plays ahead. In the 
game of selling insurance, the prospect has the natural 
advantage, for he needs only to make up his mind to dis~ 
miss the salesman and he has "won*" The salesman 
must make up the mind of the buyer, and, moreover, 
make him act in terms of the decision. Nothing can be 
clearer, then, than that the salesman must plan many 
moves ahead if he would be successful. In fact, he 
must plan out the general attack from start to finish 



278 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

and must know just what details are essential and what 
are not, to win his victory. 

The best way to keep the lead is to know where you 
are going. Initiative, as possessed by most individuals, 
is just this: they have a definite plan of procedure. 
Harrington's use of the expression, "a completion plan" 
was not merely a response to Alderson's remark. If it 
had been, the interview would have been merely a 
conversation between the two — a game which each 
was playing move by move. But Harrington had a 
definite objective in mind, and the words "a completion 
plan" constituted a part of the plan. Harrington kept 
the lead because he always presented a situation which 
forced Alderson to reply more or less as Harrington 
desired. 

The salesman must be able to concentrate on the 
prospect's responses. In playing chess it is as impor- 
tant to know what black is planning to do as it is to 
have a plan yourself; else he may beat you before you 
have launched your attack. You are able to determine 
what black has in mind only by studying his moves and 
his general behavior. In selling, it is essential to know 
about what the prospect is thinking and feeling. As 
the salesman cannot read the prospect's mind, he must 
most carefully watch his responses. These responses 
are made by word of mouth, by tone of voice, and by 
movements of the body. This is another reason why 
a plan must be prepared in advance. During the in- 
terview there will be little time for scheming, for the 
salesman must pay strict attention to the responses of 
the prospect. If he does not so concentrate, he will 
lose touch with the prospect's mental processes and 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 279 

suddenly wake up to find he has completely lost control 
of the interview. But if he has a plan and does watch 
the responses of the prospect, he will be able to act in 
terms of both. 

Possession of a definite plan eliminates many dis- 
tracting elements. The prospect does not know about 
the various kinds of policies and their relative advan- 
tages, and very often he does not want to have their 
relative merits discussed. In fact, the more weighing 
of advantages and disadvantages there is, the more 
annoying is the process to the prospect and the greater 
the chance the prospect will terminate the interview 
with an emphatic, "I'll see you later; I want time to 
think this over," and with a resolution that he had 
better get figures from other companies. 

There are cases when the prospect does desire to 
have the relative merits of various insurance policies 
outlined to him. When this occurs, the salesman 
should give the desired information. The well-managed 
sale, however, does not and should not involve a com- 
parison of this sort. The salesman should know which 
policy is the best one for his client and present it, keep- 
ing other policies in the background. Remember: suc- 
cessful salesmanship is a "funneling" of aroused activ- 
ity to a definite act. Anything which allows this 
activity to be directed into more than one channel is 
detrimental — often absolutely fatal. 

The possession of a definite plan stimulates confi- 
dence within both the salesman and his prospect. 
There is hardly a beginner who does not experience a 
"sinking feeling" when he approaches his prospect. 
Much of this is due to fear of the unknown. The be- 



280 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

ginner does not know what the prospect may do and, 
more important still, he does not know what he himself 
will do. But, if the salesman has a definite plan in mind, 
if he knows exactly what he wants the prospect to do, 
if he has outlined in detail how he will proceed to con- 
vince the prospect, then to just that extent he does 
know what he is going to do — to just that extent 
he eliminates the unknown and thereby increases 
confidence in himself. If for no other reason than 
this, the preparation of a definite plan is worth while in 
eliminating fear and establishing confidence in oneself. 

The prospect also reacts favorably to the man who 
knows what he is about. He instinctively reacts to the 
salesman's confidence in himself and tends to be sub- 
missive to him. If later on he asks about different kinds 
of policies or other insurance companies, he accepts the 
salesman's explanation of why his plan is best with no 
misgivings. 

It is also well to remember in this connection that in 
selling insurance one is dependent to a very consider- 
able extent upon "repeat" orders, as is the case in most 
lines. One agent, for example, reports that 50 per cent 
of his business comes from or through old customers. 
The salesman who impresses his client with his sagacity 
finds it easy to obtain recommendations and introduc- 
tions to his client's friends. 



DETERMINATION OF KIND OF POLICY FOR A PARTICULAR 

PROSPECT 

It is not the province of this course to go into the 
intricacies of policies, nor to establish principles as to 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 281 

when one policy should be sold in preference to others. 
These points are amply covered by the works of 
Stevenson and Lovelace, which have been referred to 
previously. 

The student of insurance should become an expert in 
the uses to which the various policies may be put. And 
he should determine to what types of individuals the 
various policies are most acceptable. 

DETERMINATION OF AMOUNT OF POLICY 

One of the most important determinations is how 
much insurance to recommend the prospect to carry. 
It is axiomatic that buyers do not buy more of a com- 
modity than is suggested. In consequence, if the "in- 
spiration of the moment" suggests too low an amount, 
the salesman loses the difference between what he sug- 
gested and what the prospect would have bought. 
And, moreover, the salesman may arouse the prospect's 
contempt because of his lack of knowledge of the pros- 
pect's income and the needs of his family. On the other 
hand, the salesman may discourage the prospect from 
buying if he places the amount too high. When con- 
fronted with the necessity of determining the amount, 
it is, however, much more advisable to state the amount 
above what the prospect can afford than below it. 
Through skillful maneuvering the prospect can usually 
be led to take out a lower amount than first stated, but 
it is very much more difficult to get him to raise the 
amount. 

The emphasis placed to-day by some salesmen on 
selling not "insurance/' but "income," provides a very 



282 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

happy method of determining the amount for which 
the policy should be made out. The first step here is 
to lead the prospect to decide what is the minimum 
income on which his family can live, then to calculate 
the amount of insurance necessary to provide that in- 
come. If the premium for such an amount exceeds the 
prospect's estimate of what he can afford, a portion of 
the whole may be sold with the idea that later he will 
complete his plan for the family income. This plan 
provides a very satisfactory method of determining 
the amount and at the same time interesting the pros- 
pect in a smaller amount when he cannot afford the 
total. Moreover, it leaves a fine opening for selling 
further insurance at a later date. 

Evidently, an estimate so important to the success 
of the whole sale should never be left to the last minute, 
but should be carefully planned out in advance. Of 
course, if during the interview new facts are discovered 
concerning the prospect's business, income, or plans, 
then these facts should be taken into account in deter- 
mining the amount of insurance to be suggested. But 
a salesman should be slow to change his plans once 
they have been carefully thought out on the basis of 
known facts. 

ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON XXI 

Under the heading of the Strategy of Selling Life 
Insurance, we have considered, first, who is my pros- 
pect? and, second, exactly what is my proposition? 
We are now ready to consider the third step in the 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 283 

general planning of a sale — i.e., what convictions must 
the prospect have before he will buy? 

Just how one salesman figured out the necessary- 
convictions and impulses in a successful manner is 
described in this illustration from the Knack of 
Selling: 

"Ben/ the manager said, 'I want you to go out to 

the School and get an order to run their "ad." in 

July and, if possible, in August/ And he explained 
how this school had unexpectedly decided to drop out 
for the summer months, and no argument had been 
able to change the decision. 

"The manager did not see any more of Ben until late 
in the afternoon, when he brought in the order for a 
page in both July and August. 

"The manager became genuinely puzzled to know 
how this young man, without any personality and 
seemingly without the usual earmarks of a great 
salesman, persistently got the business he did. So 
he asked for an explanation of how he canvassed this 
advertiser. 

"'It is easy to be seen/ the solicitor explained, 'that 
this school was figuring on July and August being dull 
months for business, and so good months in which to 
cut down advertising. As another solicitor had already 
worked on them I concluded that they hadn't fallen 
for our usual canvass on the effectiveness of continuous 
advertising. In other words, the usual talk about the 
returns from their advertising was no good in this case, 
because they figured they could get these same returns 
at less expense next fall. 

"'Well, I thought, if they won't advertise in July 



284 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

and August for their usual returns, what unusual re- 
turns could they advertise for? And wondering about 
that started me wondering what kind of prospective 
students they could reach in the summer that couldn't 
be reached in the fall. 

'"In other words, what could I dig up that would 
make them afraid not to have their ad. running in July 
and August ? 

"'So I started to set down the reasons why they did 
not need to advertise — and my first reason gave me 
the tip wanted. 

"'It was, "Business dull, help being laid off." 

"'Now, how much help was being laid off over the 
country ? 

"'I went to our cashier and got the names and sal- 
aries of all the men who were laid off for the summer in 
our own office. 

"'Then I went over to Blank's and got a similar list 

from them. And Rob gave me a similar list from 

their offices. 

"'Well, in all I got twenty-two names of men earn- 
ing from ten dollars a week to eighteen dollars a week 
who had been laid off by just three firms. 

'"With these lists I got on the car and went to see 
the manager of this school. 

"'"Business pretty dull?" I suggested, when I got 
seated. 

"'"Rotten," he said. 

"'"Laying off any people?" I asked. 

"'"About a dozen," he replied. 

"'"Just the untrained help, I suppose?" 

"'"Oh yes," he replied. "We never lay off our 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 285 

trained employees — only the kind we can pick up again 
in the fall; generally get back a lot of the ones we let 
out. When they get out of a job they decide to get 
into some more steady kind of work, but it's too dull 
for them to get started at anything in the summer, and 
by fall, when they have a job back, they get careless 
again/' 

"'"Then they are good prospective candidates for a 
course in your school, during the summer, but you 
can't interest them in the fall, isn't that about right?" 

"'He looked at me, but did not answer. I waited a 
minute to let it sink in. 

"'Then I pulled out my lists. 

"'"Look here, Mr. , here's a list of twenty-two 

men being laid off for the summer in just three offices 
— because they are untrained. You are laying off a 
dozen more. Take it all over the country, and there 
are thousands. 

"'"They're feeling pretty sober and thoughtful 
about their vocation right now. They'll consider an 
opportunity to train themselves for something steady. 
Next fall, you know they're not half so receptive to a 
proposition like yours. 

" ' "If you drop your advertising for the summer, you 
absolutely lose your best chance at them." 

'"And I finally sewed him up for the order.'" x 

Do you see how Ben figured out a situation which 
would eventually lead to the response he wanted and 
then sprung it on the educator? Do you see how he 
figured out that the educator did not have the convic- 
tion that "continuous advertising was worth while" 

1 H. Watson, Knack of Selling, 1913, Book i, pp. 8-1 1. 



286 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

and that it was useless to attempt to develop that con- 
viction ? Do you see how he figured out another group 
of convictions which he could develop within the mind 
of the educator ? namely: 

1 . Many individuals are out of work. 

2. These individuals are out of work because they 
are not well prepared. 

3. These individuals know they are out of work be- 
cause of poor preparation. 

4. Because of this they are especially concerned right 
now about better preparation. 

5. Advertising this summer will reach thisclass. 

6. Instead of small attendance there should be ex- 
ceptionally large classes this summer'. 

(And note also how this illustrates the "toboggan" 
method of convincing another. The salesman pre- 
sented one proposition after another that the prospect 
had to agree to, and finally sprung the main point 
which had also to be agreed to because it followed natu- 
rally from what he had already accepted.) 

The assignment. 1. Mr. James Reddington has 
decided to approach Mr. Henry Burton, about forty 
years of age, the proprietor of a small hardware store. 
He is well spoken of as courteous, kind-hearted, and a 
hard worker. He has, however, few interests outside 
his family and business, and is not known to belong to 
any club or church, or to have many intimate friends. 
His family consists of his wife and two or three children. 
Business is gradually moving away from the center 
where his store is located. His net income is unknown, 
but can hardly exceed #6,000. 

Mr. Reddington has decided to present a long-term 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 287 

continuous-payment endowment policy. The amount 
is to be determined upon the basis of the needs of Mr. 
Burton's family for minimum income and Mr. Burton's 
estimate of what he can possibly afford. 

Determine as definitely as possible just what the 
convictions are that must be in Mr. Burton's mind before 
he will take out an endowment policy. (Disregard at 
this point how Reddington will get those convictions 
into Mr. Burton's mind, but simply consider what they 
are.) 

2. In the same way work out the convictions that 
must be in the mind of Mr. Savage, aged thirty-five, 
before he takes out $5,000 of term insurance to cover 
his mortgage. Mr. Savage now has $10,000 insurance, 
one half taken out when he was married and the other 
half five years ago, for the protection of a wife and two 
sons, eight and twelve years old, respectively. He 
earns a salary of $3,500. On the basis of a recent raise 
of $500 he has built a home, borrowing $5,000 to com- 
plete his venture. The mortgage calls for a payment 
of $1,000 a year on the principal, and interest at 6 per 
cent. Mr. Savage devotes all his energies, outside of 
his business, to his family and to church work, being an 
elder in the Second Presbyterian Church. 

Do not fail to write out the convictions in both in- 
stances. Writing forces you to think clearly and 
definitely. 



LESSON XXI. WHAT CONVICTIONS MUST 
THE PROSPECT HAVE BEFORE HE WILL 

BUY? 

SELLING INVOLVES MANIPULATING THE PROSPECT^ 
MIND, NOT EXERCISING YOUR OWN 

Some time ago an insurance salesman tried to sell 
the writer. He gave one reason after another why in- 
surance was a good thing, and as he completed each 
point he wrote a key word on a pad before me. At the 
close, he had about ten reasons. They were good rea- 
sons, but they did not happen to fit my case. He had 
made no attempt to study my needs, which he could 
have ascertained quite easily, and he had no conception 
of what convictions I would have to have before buy- 
ing. He did not sell me. 

The point of view maintained in this lesson is dia- 
metrically opposed to the strategy underlying the above 
salesman's procedure. Effective selling does not con- 
sist in giving all the reasons why insurance should be 
taken. It does consist in making an analysis of what] 
convictions the prospect must have before he will buy, 
and then satisfying those convictions. This means 
that often only one or two "reasons" will be given and 
yet the prospect is sold. 

These two views of selling exist to-day because men 
view the process of selling in different ways. The 
young salesman who called upon me feels that he does 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 289 

the selling: the view upheld here is that the salesman 
assists the prospect to buy. Knack of Selling illustrates 
this point as follows: 

"'But/ and he (the sales manager) led the younger 
man over to the demonstrating machine, 'you're leav- 
ing one thing out of your plans, and that is your pros- 
pect's spirit of independence. 

"'There's no one we like to do a thing for less than 
for the man who tries to force us to do it. 

"'You show your prospect all about this machine 
here. You hold a watch on the operations and prove 
your points. You figure out the savings and you make 
him admit you are right, which is the same as making 
him admit he has been wrong, and none like to do that. 

"'Say, Buckley/ the old man went on, 'did you ever 
notice among your social acquaintances a fellow who 
is always proving himself right, always threshing his 
subject out so thoroughly, covering it so completely 
that there isn't anything left for anyone else to say 
except echo this one man's statements? 

"'Ever know such a man? Sure you have, and no- 
body likes him. He's not the fellow you like to spend 
an evening with or go to the show with, is he ? 

"'Well, you've been something like that kind of a 
chap when you were proving every minute point to your 
prospect. 

"'Let down a little. Let the poor prospect find out 
some of those points for himself. Let him hold the 
watch. Let him compare the total with the bookkeep- 
er's total, and he'll holler right away quick, "Some 
one's made a mistake." Then let him be the one to 
prove that it was his bookkeeper. Let him figure for 



290 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

himself the cost of figuring by hand compared with 
figuring on your machine. Give him your pencil and 
let him actually do the trick. Then when he gets 
through he feels a sense of personal interest in the work. 
He has shared in doing it, instead of having to stand 
meekly by and watch you doing it all for him. 

'"Then when he's got the figures in his own hand- 
writing, just call his attention to the fact that he never 
figured a plainer saving in his life. He can't repudiate 
his own figures; he likes 'em — he made 'em. 

"'And he'll be in a better humor.' 

"This young man is now a good salesman. He is a 
good mixer. Not because he was born a jollier, for he 
wasn't, and isn't one now, but because he learned the 
art of drawing the other man's interest into his work, 
making the other man a partner in his talk." 1 

It is perfectly natural for the salesman to assume that 
selling comes through his own mental exertions, since 
only through their use does he make a success of selling. 
There is sufficient truth in this point of view to make it 
extremely difficult to see the matter in its proper light. 
All this has repeatedly been explained, possibly in no 
clearer way than where selling was likened to a chess 
game. Here the minds of both players are active. 
Each has a plan he desires to carry out and each plays 
in terms of his own plan, but with regard to the moves 
and conjectured schemes of his opponent. The better 
player shortly has the other so cornered that he can do 
little but play as the winner wishes. When this takes 
place it can truthfully be said that the successful player 
has conquered through his own mental exertions. 

1 H. Watson, Knack of Selling, 1913, Book vi, pp. 9-1 1. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 291 

Selling is a much more complex game than chess. 
Selling calls for such a manipulation of the prospect's 
mind that he will actively do something he had not 
planned to do. 

In selling, the salesman must not only outplan and 
outmaneuver the prospect, but at the same time he 
must lead the prospect to build up a new plan and act 
in terms of it. It is the latter half of the selling pro- 
gram which calls for a thorough knowledge of human 
nature in order that the salesman may constrain other 
individuals to think and feel and act as he desires. 

Just how shall one plan how properly to manipulate 
another's mind? By determining what response is de- 
sired — what convictions and impulses within the mind 
of the buyer will make him buy — and then figuring 
out situations to present to the buyer which will pro- 
duce the desired response. 

FROM RESPONSE TO SITUATION VERSUS SITUATION TO 

RESPONSE 

In the study of instinctive action and of acquired 
interests we considered various situations and the re- 
sponses that naturally followed. In this way we 
analyzed the International Correspondence School ad- 
vertisement and the Overland auto advertisement. It 
is easy to think from a situation to the response that 
will follow, because we are constantly thinking that 
way. But when we attempt to influence others we 
must proceed backward from response to situation. 
We must figure out the response that is desired and then 

select a situation that will lead to this response. This 
20 



292 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

requires real thinking and hard work, and only men 
with ability and persistence will do it. The weakling 
will find it too difficult and will decide there is nothing 
in such a plan. 

A short time ago a certain educational institution 
was threatened by a Bolshevist uprising. A very bril- 
liant member of the senior class organized a soviet and 
outlined to the president of the school his idea that, 
considering that the endowment was given to benefit 
the students, the students should take over the institu- 
tion and run it. A meeting was called for a certain day 
when the plans of the student soviet were to be made 
public and a strike voted by the students in order to 
enforce their wishes. In despair the president appealed 
to a psychologist. He figured out the behavior he 
wanted to secure on the morrow and then suggested the 
following procedure: 

The senior class was to be allowed to assemble in the 
large auditorium instead of a small classroom. A very 
prominent and popular speaker was to be scheduled to 
speak at the same time in an adjoining room. And 
following this, a reception was to be held to which all 
students should be invited to meet the speaker and 
refreshments should be served. Nothing in this scheme 
interfered with the students' plan. Interference would 
only have made matters worse, for it would have 
aroused the fighting instinct. When the senior class 
met in the large room they lost heart, as the empty seats 
far outnumbered those that were used, and they lost 
the feeling of a successful group activity. The presence 
of the popular speaker resulted in many going to hear 
him who otherwise would have attended the soviet 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 293 

gathering. And the eatables served later drew many 
more. As a result, the soviet strike did not materialize. 
The large room broke up the feeling of solidarity (gre- 
gariousness), the leader's prestige was largely elimi- 
nated by the contrast with a greater leader (mastery), 
and interest was distracted from fancied grievances by 
the presence of ice cream and cake (eating instinct). 
This illustrates truly scientific handling of others. And 
it was done by thinking backward from a desired re- 
sponse to a situation that would produce this response. 

One phase of an investigation made several years 
ago, following a disastrous train wreck, hinged upon the 
question as to whether the engineer on the second train 
could possibly have done what he claimed. It seemed 
he had but a few seconds at his disposal after rounding 
a curve before his train crashed into the rear of another 
train stalled on the main track. Upon being recalled to 
the witness stand the engineer described how he had 
visualized over and over again just this and other pos- 
sible accidents. And he explained how he had prac- 
ticed for years going through the motions necessary to 
stop his engine. In consequence, when the occasion 
suddenly came, although he could not possibly avert 
the disaster, he undoubtedly did save many lives by 
his carefully planned action. 

In precisely the same way the salesman should be 
constantly practicing for what may happen by pictur- 
ing all manner of prospects and their varied objections 
and rehearsing a satisfactory reply. 

A study of advertising over a period of twenty years 
will reveal very clearly how this conception of present- 
ing situations which will cause the desired response 



294 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

has been coming to the front. A few years ago all ad- 
vertisements were pretty largely a shooting of a shot- 
gun in the general direction of the customer. Now 
hundreds of advertisements portray remarkably well 
just that which will make a buyer want the goods. A 
Crisco advertisement illustrates this very well. The 
picture of a most delicious pumpkin pie whets my ap- 
petite and reminds my wife that we have had none 
recently. And it further calls to mind that Crisco 
makes excellent pie crust. Possibly a few mornings 
later, when my wife is planning the menu, pie comes 
to mind and with it the realization that she is nearly 
out of shortening; so Crisco is added to the grocer's 
order. Pumpkin pie here serves to produce a situation 
which naturally leads to the purchase of Crisco. 1 

The strategy of selling is largely a thinking backward. 
The third step is to figure out the convictions the pros- 
pect must have before he will buy. These make up 
part of the final response that the salesman desires. In 
the same way, the fourth step in the strategy of selling 
is to determine the response desired in terms, not of 
ideas, but of emotions or desires. Then the fifth step 
involves the planning out of what to say and do, so that 
all these convictions and desires will finally develop in 
the mind and "heart" of the prospect and he will 
buy. 

In this lesson we are interested only in convictions. 
The fourth and fifth steps will be discussed in the next 
two lessons. Three sales will be reviewed. Note what 



1 The above paragraph netted the writer two first-class pumpkin pies two 
days after his wife read it. Here again the proper situation led to a desired 
response. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 295 

convictions were necessary before the prospects were 
satisfied to buy. 



THE CONVICTIONS ALDERSON HAD TO HAVE BEFORE HE 
WOULD BUY 

Alderson was a director in a trust company. Conse- 
quently it could be counted on that he understood the 
operation of trust companies and believed in them. 
Furthermore, he probably had provided that his estate 
would be handled by his trust company. As a result, 
it would be almost impossible to sell him insurance 
without establishing the following convictions : 

1. An insurance company can guarantee both prin- 
cipal and interest on my estate : a trust company 
cannot do this. 

2. Consequently, the only absolutely certain method 
of providing for my family is through insurance. 

In addition, Alderson would have to be possessed of 
other convictions, such as: 

3. Insurance is a safe and effective proposition. 

4. My family must be protected when I am gone. 

5. I may die at any moment. 

In this particular case Alderson was convinced, to 
start with, of Nos. 3, 4, and 5. The crux of the whole 
sale depended upon Nos. 1 and 2. 

THE CONVICTIONS HUDSON HAD TO HAVE BEFORE HE 
WOULD BUY 

Hudson was described in Lesson XVI as a young man 
of twenty-two, earning twenty-two dollars a week, 



296 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

and not married or interested in any woman. The con- 
victions that he had to be possessed of before he would 
buy were: 

i. I need to save money in order to succeed in life. 

2. Insurance is a good method to make me save. 

3. Insurance is safe and effective. 

4. I can afford insurance. 

5. My employer will think more of me if he finds I 
am saving money, hence I'll have a better chance 
to succeed with him. 

In Hudson's case, No. 3 was already established. 
Collins so maneuvered that Hudson admitted that he 
could afford insurance before he understood Collins's 
proposition, thereby establishing No. 4. Nos. I, 2, and 
5 were the convictions which had to be developed dur- 
ing the main part of the interview. 

CONVICTIONS THAT HAD TO BE IN BURTON^ MIND 
BEFORE HE WOULD BUY 

A "picture" of Henry Burton was given in Lesson 
XX. His family and his business were his chief and 
practically his only interests. The business center of 
the city was moving away from his store: he must be 
conscious of the fact that in years to come his business 
would probably not be so good as it was now. 

The principal convictions which were necessary for 
Burton to have before he would buy were: 

1. My family must be assured of a minimum income. 

2. My wife and I must have protection in old age. 

3. A sinking fund is essential for emergencies. 

4. This insurance is the only method which will pro- 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 297 

vide for my family, myself, and my business, 
for— 

a. My present business is not sufficient in case 
I die. 

b. My present business may not be sufficient in 
my old age. 

c. My present insurance is not adequate. 
5. I can afford further insurance. 

THE NATURE OF CONVICTIONS 

Conviction, as already stated in Lesson XVII, in- 
volves "idea" plus "belief." It is an idea which is ac- 
cepted as true — which is believed. 

Each one has a great multitude of convictions and a 
still greater supply of ideas which are acquiesced in, 
but which would hardly be defended if challenged. 
Each day new ideas are accumulated and some of these, 
plus older ideas, are linked up with real convictions, so 
that they become also true convictions. For example, 
the writer was taught in school that the sun does not 
rise and set, but that the earth revolves on its axis and 
so the sun appears and disappears each day. This was 
only an idea until one day he saw an eclipse of the sun. 
Then he saw the moon go between the earth and sun, 
and the validity of the idea was established. 

Several million men and women are convinced that 
insurance is a good thing and that it will protect a fam- 
ily after the breadwinner is gone, or the buyer himself 
in old age. Many more millions know about insurance, 
but are not really convinced. Proper manipulation of 
the ideas already in their minds, or the addition of one 
or more new ideas, will convince them. 



298 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

The examples given above illustrate the convictions 
that had to be held by three different men before they 
would buy. These convictions are ideas intimately 
related to the act of taking out a specific policy which 
is designed to render them certain service. And they 
are ideas which must be believed by the prospect to be 
true. They are established as truths by linking them 
up with ideas already accepted as true. 

ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON XXII 

This lesson has discussed the third step in the Strat- 
egy of Selling — i.e., the convictions that must be pos- 
sessed by a prospect before he will buy. The next step 
is to determine the impulses that the prospect must be 
possessed of before he will buy. 

Write out what these necessary impulses are in the 
case of (a) Burton and (b) Savage. (Refer to the assign- 
ment at the close of Lesson XX and to Lessons XVII 
and XVIII.) 



LESSON XXII. WHAT IMPULSES MUST THE 
PROSPECT HAVE BEFORE HE WILL BUY? 

Motives are the prime subjective causes of a man's 
action. Very many motives are unanalyzable and 
are here called impulses. The little child says he 
wants to play; or likes the story. The man says he 
loves his fiancee. That is final, as much as the fact 
that an apple falls. Some motives, however, can be 
analyzed into simpler units. They are called convic- 
tions. Barnes was convinced that a college educa- 
tion was a highly desirable thing for his son. He 
could support this conviction with reasons. But he 
could not support his love for his son in terms of 
reasons. Even to attempt such a justification would 
be preposterous. 

As has just been said, impulses or desires are practi- 
cally unanalyzable. They are expressive of our instinc- 
tive and emotional life. We desire this or that because 
it satisfies us, or at least we think it is going to give us 
satisfaction. The proverbial woman's "because . . ." 
truly represents her psychological condition. She wants 
the thing, but she has no reasons. The desire is emo- 
tional and so cannot adequately be explained. 

Action is dependent upon desire and, hence, upon 
instinctive interests. It is also dependent upon ac- 
quired interests because these are more or less closely 



3 oo THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

related to instinctive interests. All this has been em- 
phaszied in earlier lessons. 

The problem of this lesson is, What impulses must 
a certain prospect have before he will buy? The best 
single answer to this question is, He should be pos- 
sessed of as many impulses as it is possible to arouse 
which are related to insurance in any way. The fact 
of the matter is, the more the merrier. Each im- 
pulse stimulates the others to greater strength. So 
in the campaign to sell Liberty Bonds, every possible 
appeal was made not simply to provide that in this 
way everyone would be reached, but to stimulate each 
in as many ways as possible. 

So, in determining what impulses a prospect should 
be possessed of, figure out all the impulses that can 
possibly be connected with the idea "insurance" and 
" funneled" into the act of writing his name. 

HOW BARNUM WAS SOLD 

Harold Whitehead tells of how Perkins sold a diffi- 
cult prospect. 

"It seems that he had been planning to sell insurance 
to a real-estate man for a. long time. He knew the man 
was carrying only about #5,000 worth of insurance. 

"Now if he approached Barnum (the real-estate man) 
and talked insurance, he knew he would fall through 
before he commenced, so he skirmished around for a 
month or more, studying his man. 

"When Perkins was all ready he called on Barnum 
and said, 'Mr. Barnum, I've called to see you about 
your business rating. I've discovered it isn't correct.' 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 301 

"Can you guess what happened? You're right. 
Barnum blew up! He evidently thought Perkins was 
a credit reporter or something like that. He guessed 
his rating was right, and no one could say he padded 
his assets and got away with it, 

"'You misunderstand me, Mr. Barnum,' said Per- 
kins. 'You haven't padded your assets at all, but 
you've greatly underestimated one item of yours.' 

"Of course Barnum cooled off at that and asked, 
'What item?' 

"'Let me ask you, Mr. Barnum,' parried Perkins, 
'are you personally responsible for your remarkable 
success or do you owe it to a manager or some 
one ? ' 

"'There's only one man responsible for Barnum's 
getting on in the world, and that's Barnum,' was his 
boastful reply. 

"'It's as I thought,' came back Perkins, 'and yet 
in your assets you value the most important item you 
have at only $5,000. You give the world a false im- 
pression of yourself when you place such a paltry figure 
on yourself.' 

"'Five thousand dollars? Important asset? Me?' 
Mr. Barnum hadn't tumbled. 'What do you mean, 
anyhow?' 

"'Just this.' Perkins here hitched his chair a bit 
nearer Barnum. 'You carry only $5,000 worth of in- 
surance, thus placing that sum as your estimate of your 
value. Five hundred thousand would be nearer the 
mark.' 

"'Lordy!' said Barnum in admiration. 'You're a 
life insurance agent, ain't you?' 



302 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

"'Correct/ Perkins smiled. 

"'Why didn't you say so at first?* 

"'What would you have done if I had?' 

"'Guess I'd have terminated the interview.' 

"'Exactly, and by so doing you would have been de- 
prived of knowing how you were doing yourself an 
injustice, Mr. Barnum. You can't afford to put your- 
self in a poor light with the world any longer. Never 
mind the amounts now. Will you see the doctor in 
the morning?' 

"Barnum looked at Perkins in open admiration. 

"'A life insurance agent! Say, you ought to be in 
the real-estate business; you're too good to be peddling 
insurance.' 

"'Thanks. But how about the doctor for to- 
morrow ? ' 

"'Bring him around, son. You've sold me, all 
right. I guess I ought to have more insurance and 
I can't dodge the logic of your sales talk.' 

"'He isn't my biggest policyholder,' mused Per- 
kins in conclusion, 'but I got him for ^85,oco.'" 1 

What were the convictions Perkins figured Barnum 
must have before he would buy? Clearly they were 
these: "Business men question my credit (most 
precious to a real-estate man) because I carry only 
$5,000 insurance" and "more insurance will strengthen 
my credit." 

But this was not all that Perkins communicated to 
Barnum, even though Barnum said he would have to 

1 Quoted by C. W. Gerstenberg in Principles of Business, 1919, from an 
article by H. Whitehead, entitled, "The Business Career of Peter Flint," 
New York Evening Sun, June 18, 191 8. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 303 

have more insurance because he could not "dodge 
the logic of the sales talk." Barnum was stirred up 
emotionally, whether he realized it or not. 

First of all, Perkins questioned Barnum's business 
rating, which made Barnum angry. Immediately Bar- 
num's misconception was straightened out, but Bar- 
num remained emotionally excited, just the same. 
(One bomb had been exploded.) 

A second bomb was exploded when Perkins asked 
whether Barnum or another was responsible for his 
financial success. Barnum's pride was touched. Per- 
kins again smoothed out the difficulty as far as ideas 
were concerned, but gave Barnum no opportunity to 
use his stirred-up emotions. 

Then a third bomb was exploded when Perkins said 
that $5,000 worth of insurance represented Barnum's 
estimate of his value. The implication clearly was 
that other men also might conclude $5,000 repre- 
sented his value. The desire to secure approval 
coupled with the approval given by Perkins when he 
added, "Five hundred thousand would be nearer the 
mark," could not fail further to arouse Barnum. 

With Barnum so stirred up it was easy to "funnel" 
the aroused activity into the act of seeing the doctor. 
Logic had mighty little to do with the sale. Barnum's 
emotion of pride, and his instinct for mastery, properly 
aroused, sold him. 

THE IMPULSES BURTON MUST HAVE BEFORE HE WILL BUY 

Mr. Henry Burton, it will be recalled, is about forty 
years of age, the proprietor of a small hardware store. 



3 o 4 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

The store is not well located, as business is moving 
away. He is married, with two or three small children. 
Outside of his business and family, he has practically 
no interests. 

One can reasonably expect to stir Mr. Burton up 
emotionally in terms of (i) his love for his wife, (2) his 
love for his children, (3) his determination to make 
good — to succeed in his business, to take care of his 
family and himself in old age (fighting instinct), and 
(4) his desire for approval from others — his wife, his 
children later on, his few friends, and the salesman. 
In other words, the salesman should arouse his instinct 
to fight, to struggle against odds in defense of his 
loved ones, and, also, that he may be looked up to by 
others as one who has done his duty. And, as always, 
no amount of conviction alone will sell him. He must 
be both convinced and impelled to act or he will not 
buy. 

HOW MR. KERR WAS SOLD 

Mr. Burpee C. Kerr, a wealthy lumberman of 
forty-eight years, already carries $60,000 insurance. 
He has a wife and five children, ranging in age from 
three to nineteen. He is no longer actively engaged in 
business and gives a good deal of time to his family. 

The salesman, Mr. Huntley, knows him and his family 
very well, and sold him $10,000 insurance some time 
ago. At that time Mr. Kerr stated he had all he wanted. 

Mr. Huntley calls upon Mr. Kerr in his office about 
December 15th. 

Huntley: "Greetings, Burpee. How are all the 
folks? Christmas is on us again, ehr" 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 305 

Kerr: "Yes, the years roll around fast, boy." 

Huntley: "D'ye mind, Burp, the first time you 
were told there was no Santa Claus? How disap- 
pointed you felt? Sort of spoiled things. I know it 
did for me. Wonderful dreams we have as kids. Why, 
I used to think, as I'd see a man building a swell house, 
say that '11 have nothing on mine when I grow up. I 
expect every kid thinks that. It's a good job we all 
have a bump of hope. 

"Now, Burp, you have five bright kids up there. 
You and the wife have a lot of fun round the Christmas 
time, and specially Christmas Eve, looking in the store 
windows, and starting home at midnight with your arms 
full of parcels for the kids. And you can't help think- 
ing back to when you were a youngster, when money 
wasn't half so plentiful, what a great thing it was to 
find a couple of pennies in the bottom of your sock 
and a twisted piece of molasses candy. It makes 
one think of how the old folks toiled to give us even 
that much. 

"Burp, I didn't come in here to talk to you about 
life insurance, because you have all the life insurance 
you need. But I have a right good idea. How would 
you like to see little yellow-headed Donald, when he's 
eighty-five years of age, getting in his mail Christmas 
Eve, as regularly as it comes, a little check reading, 
'From Dad to Donald, wishing him a merry Christ- 
mas'? Burp, picture Donald at eighty-five, getting 
his little reminder of Dad possibly for the sixtieth time. 
Burp, kids are just like colts — they might turn out to 
be good ones, and they might turn out to be bad ones. 
Yours may not always be as successful as you are. 



306 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

You have made every provision that a man could 
possibly make, and you will leave your kids as well 
provided to fight the battle of life as a man could hope 
for, but after you have gone and they have to fight the 
battle for themselves you cannot be sure that they will 
always have what you have given them. But this little 
reminder will come to them, whether or no, as long as 
they live — a touch of the old home." 

Kerr: "It's rather a pretty little idea. I would 
rather like to do something like that for the kids. Just 
how much would that cost me, Hunt?" 

Huntley: "Burpee, if you will just sign these five 
application blanks and let old Doc Johnson tap you on 
the chest, I will harness this scheme to the ordinary 
life plan. That is the same kind as I sold you before. 
Til bring you around five policies. Put them in your 
safe. Roughly, it '11 cost you two hundred dollars a 
year. Don't mention it to a soul — don't even mention 
it in your will. Leave it just like any Christmas 
present you have bought, and I hope it '11 be a long time 
before that Christmas comes." (I take it for granted 
that I have sold him and push the applications over to 
him, telling him to write his name five times.) "Bet- 
ter send the Doc here than to the house, eh?" 

Kerr signs the applications and hands them back, 
with not a word to say, other than, "I'll take it." x 

Here again, there is mighty little reasoning. The 
powerful impulse to do things for one's children, already 
intensified by the proximity of Christmas, is skillfully 

1 Reported by Mr. F. S. Huntley, Jr., Truro, Nova Scotia, member of the 
second class, School for Life Insurance Salesmanship, Carnegie Institute of 
Technology. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 307 

connected to the idea of insurance by way of Christmas 
presents, and the sale is made. 



BASE PLANS ON THE FACT THAT MEN S INSTINCTIVE 

INTERESTS ARE MUCH ALIKE, BUT THEIR ACQUIRED 

INTERESTS VARY GREATLY 

Hawkins has rendered a real service to the field of 
salesmanship by emphasizing the fact that all men are 
inherently alike and that the differences are less than 
the likenesses. "When a great actor," he says, "pre- 
sents a play to the public, he does not adapt his inter- 
pretation of his part to the viewpoint of any type or 
class of people. He knows that fundamentally all men 
are much alike in their susceptibility to what may be 
termed ' human nature ' appeals. The unsophisticated 
schoolgirl and the vicious criminal, one sitting in the 
first row of the balcony and the other down in front in 
the gallery, are alike in their desire to see the hero frus- 
trate the villain's plots. The actor's preparation of 
himself isn't for either the schoolgirl or criminal, as 
types. His aim is to fit himself for being understood in 
his role by any man or woman who comes to the 
theater." 1 

This principle that all men are instinctively very much 
alike simplifies the problem of planning to meet pros- 
pects. Each may be assumed to be possessed of all the 
instinctive interests discussed in earlier lessons. 

But men do differ and differ greatly as regards their 
acquired interests. Many men could not be sold an edu- 
cational policy, as was Barnes, and very few could be 

j N. A. Hawkins, The Selling Process, 1918, pp. 102-103. 



3 o8 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

sold insurance through a discussion of trust companies, 
as in the case of Alderson. The use of such acquired 
interests is dependent upon the fact that the prospect 
actually is possessed of these acquired interests. 

ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON XXIII 

In Lesson XXI and in this lesson the third and fourth 
steps in the Strategy of Selling have been discussed — 
i.e., what are the convictions and impulses that must be 
possessed by a prospect before he will buy? 

After these are determined, the fifth problem comes 
up — i.e., what appeals (ideas and incitements) must I 
(the salesman) make to the prospect? 

It is not always necessary to do more than hint at 
certain convictions and impulses because they are al- 
ready uppermost in the prospect's mind. On the other 
hand, it may be very necessary to go back some dis- 
tance in order to lay a good foundation for a conviction 
the prospect does not have, before the salesman can 
possibly get it clearly before him. 

Write up a detailed outline of the ideas and incite- 
ments to be presented to Henry Burton in order to sell 
him the policy outlined in the assignment to Lesson 
XX. Remember, his emotions must be stirred as well 
as his intellect. Also, his emotions must be stirred 
while his intellect is being appealed to, else he will see 
through what is being done and resent the emotion- 
arousing remarks. (Refer to the models in Lessons I 
and III.) 



LESSON XXIII. WHAT APPEALS (IDEAS AND 
INCITEMENTS) MUST I PRESENT TO THE 
PROSPECT BEFORE HE WILL HAVE THE 
DESIRED CONVICTIONS AND IMPULSES 
TO BUY? 

THE IMPORTANT THING IS NOT WHAT I DO, BUT WHAT 
THE PROSPECT THINKS AND FEELS 

It is hard for all of us to realize that what we express 
to another does not immediately become a part of that 
person's mental life. We convey an idea in words with 
certain accompanying gestures. It is clear to us. Why 
then is it not incorporated by him into his way of 
thinking? Clearly, one reason for this is because we 
can never adequately express our point of view. Words 
do not tell the whole story. We hear a Socialist on his 
soap box, for example, condemn features of our national 
life which we hold dear. It shocks us. But we find it 
almost impossible to reply in such a way as to tell him 
how we differ from him. And, if we have ever tried 
such debating in the open air, we know that, though 
arguments may volley back and forth, neither debat- 
er really makes much of an impression on the other. 
Why? Because neither one is really expressing his 
inmost beliefs. His statements are but a froth resting 
on the surface of his real genuine point of view, He 



310 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

may be a Socialist because he can't earn enough money 
to satisfy his wife's pride and gratify her desire to lord 
it over the women of her acquaintance. And we may 
be opposed to his ways of thinking because we believe 
we can obtain the necessary money to satisfy our 
wants by advancing in our chosen profession. He 
will not say anything about his wife's constant demands 
for hats, coats, etc. He probably does not consciously 
admit to himself that he never can supply them under 
the existing social organization. Nor will we explain 
how we feel sure we can win out by selling insurance. 
We will not, because we can't, to begin with, and, 
second, don't want to, anyway. For such elements 
concern us too much to be given to others. 

It is essential, then, to realize that selling cannot be 
done by the transference of convictions and impulses 
from the salesman to the buyer. All that you can do 
is to present certain situations which will result in re- 
sponses from him. And ordinarily these responses will 
be very different from the situations presented. 

For example, I am standing in the back yard with my 
neighbor, eating apples. While listening to his interest- 
ing discussion of the coming election, I absent-mindedly 
take a bite of my apple. Noticing the apple in my hand, 
he calls attention to the worm in sight on it. My re- 
sponse to his few words is more active than the mere 
thinking of the words he has uttered. 

Consider another example told me by Mr. C. Bur- 
gess Taylor. He was attempting to sell insurance to a 
wealthy man. After the object of his visit had been 
broached, the prospect explained that he had made a 
fortune out of his business, that it was in a very satis- 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 311 

factory condition, and that if anything went wrong he 
had a large farm to fall back on plus a considerable 
amount of money invested in stocks and bonds. This 
additional capital would tide him over any temporary 
difficulty. If his business was really threatened he 
would sell it and retire upon the income of his invest- 
ments. Why then should he take insurance ? Mr. Tay- 
lor replied that offhand it did look as though he did not 
need insurance, but he wondered if he had ever con- 
sidered the three sticks of dynamite within his business. 
The prospect immediately wanted to know what he 
meant — "What sticks of dynamite ?" Mr. Taylor then 
pointed out that he had three daughters, all of whom 
presumably would marry. Misplaced confidence in 
one of his future sons-in-law might clean him out of all 
his wealth at a time too late for him to recuperate his 
fortune. The prospect looked at him in amazement 
for a moment, then wheeled around in his chair and 
looked out the window for some time. Finally, he said: 
"You are around this way from time to time. Drop in 
and see me again in a few days." Mr. Taylor sold him 
325,000 of insurance shortly after. Why? Because his 
remark called to mind the expense his father had been 
put to in taking care of his own sister under similar 
conditions. 

In both these cases the response has been much out of 
proportion to the stimulating remark. Just as often, 
if not oftener, the response is not so pronounced as the 
stimulation would seem to demand. 

What is important in presenting a proposition is not 
what you say, but what the prospect will think and do 
in response. Given the convictions and impulses he 



3 i2 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

must have before buying, It is the fifth step of the 
strategy of selling to figure out what situations will 
cause these convictions and impulses to possess the 
mind of the prospect. 

Suppose you learn accidentally that Mr. Brown is 
expecting his first child shortly. You immediately 
figure that he is in a most receptive mood to consider 
insurance. You realize that you, a stranger, cannot 
discuss his wife's condition with him. You cannot, 
then, even mention the subject on the basis of which 
you expect to sell him. But that does not deter you at 
all from selling him on the basis of his interest in his 
wife and child. You can refer in the most casual way 
to the value of insurance as a great blessing to a wife 
as it frees her from worry over the possibility of being 
forced to take care of herself if her husband suddenly 
dies. That is enough; you can count on the merest 
reference bringing to mind his wife and her condition 
and arousing the impulse you know must be present 
before he will buy. 

It is important to bear in mind, as Hawkins has so 
emphatically urged, that the situations we can present 
involve words, tones of voice, and movements. "If a 
man were to compliment you in words of praise spoken 
in tones of honey, then were to wink at some one else, 
thinking you had not observed him, would you believe 
anything he had said was sincere?" You would not. 
You must believe what you say, else your tone of voice 
and manner will not back you up, for, although you 
may say what you do not believe, it is impossible to lie 
continually, as your manner of presentation will make 
the fact apparent. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 313 

"Practice your selling talk for the tones that will 
best express your meaning rather than for the words. 
'Yes' can be said in such a tone as to be an unequivocal 
'No/ It is not the word you want to get across to the 
mind of the prospect, but the idea behind the word, the 
image which the word is intended to help build. The 
language we speak would be barren indeed of expressive- 
ness if there were no tone values added to the words we 
utter." 1 

NECESSARY STEPS IN THINKING OUT THE APPEALS TO 

PRESENT 

First of all jot down (a) the best "picture" possible 
of your prospect, (b) the proposition you believe best 
fits his needs, (c) the convictions, and (d) the impulses 
he must have before he will buy. 

Second, analyze each of these convictions and im- 
pulses to determine whether he already possesses them 
or not; and if so, to what extent. Plan then only to 
hint at those he possesses — hinting just sufficiently to 
lead the prospect to recall them to mind and think and 
feel their force. The more he does this and the less he 
feels you led him to do it, the more they appear to be 
his very own and the less likely they are to be chal- 
lenged. Objections to one's own thoughts are both 
rarer and less forceful than objections to another's ideas. 

Third, plan out very carefully the elements essential 
to the prospect's acquiring of those convictions you 
think he does not now have, but that you consider are 
essential to the sale. Such a conviction might be that 
of belief in the absolute safety of life insurance invest- 

1 N. A. Hawkins, The Selling Process, 1918, pp. 87-88. 



3H THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

ments to a man who has lost money in mining stock 
and who has no insurance to-day. The first half of the 
interview between Harrington and Alderson was de- 
voted to building up the conviction that Harrington's 
proposition had features not possessed by a trust com- 
pany's plan for handling an estate — i.e., guaranteed 
principal and interest and the nonrequirement of in- 
vesting the principal. (See Lessons II-IV.) 

Fourth, plan out how you will arouse the desired 
impulses. Practice certain phrases you will bring into 
your argument which are your " incitements/ ' Prac- 
tice them so that you will glide smoothly over them in 
your presentation, and so not give the prospect any 
hint that they were deliberately dragged in to influence 
him emotionally. 

Fifth, determine the general order of presenting ideas 
and incitements. Commence with an idea appealing 
to a settled conviction or a strong impulse. Present it 
in a novel manner, thereby arousing the maximum of 
interest from the very start. (See Lesson XV.) Aim 
to arouse your prospect emotionally and to do it so 
gradually that he will not notice what you are doing. 
Do not concentrate on his relations with his wife until 
you are sure he is interested and emotionally excited. 
In other words, use incitements other than the sex ap- 
peal to lead up to this one, because jealousy, rivalry, 
and anger quickly arise when a man finds another dis- 
cussing his wife. Later, when he is "coming with you " 
and you have established a basis for mutual confidence, 
then this most intimate impulse can be indirectly and 
later directly aroused. 

In order to illustrate the above five steps and answer 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 315 

more fully the questions assigned in the last two lessons, 
let us consider the sales interview between James 
Redding and Henry Burton. 

JAMES REDDING INTERVIEWS HENRY BURTON l 

"Picture" of Henry Burton, proprietor of small hardware 
store. 

Age — about 40. 

Married. Has two or three children. 

Income: Net income not known, probably not over £6,ooo a year. 

Hard worker. Few outside interests. 

Not known to belong to any clubs or church, or to have many 
intimate friends. 

Well spoken of as courteous and kind. 

Has a small but loyal clientele. 

His store is not in a very good location, as business is moving 
away from the old center where he is located. 

Plan. Propose long-term continuous payment endowment or 
accelerative endowment. Emphasize protection for family, or to 
help wife to carry on business, and old-age protection. 

Interview. Redding finds Burton standing in the 
aisle of the store, looking over some vouchers. Ap- 
proaches and waits a moment till Burton looks up. 

Burton: "What can I do for you?" 

Redding: "Mr. Burton, I came in to show you some- 5 
thing which I hope will interest you. Maybe it will 
and maybe it won't. If it does, it will mean a lot to 
you; if it doesn't appeal to you, maybe you can tell me 
of some one of your friends who would be interested." 

(Redding holds a loose-leaf morocco binder in one 10 
hand, striking it gently once or twice into the palm of 
the other hand. Burton looks at the book.) 
1 Prepared expressly for this book by Griffin M, Lovelace, 



3i6 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Burton: "What is it?" 

Redding (handling the book): "I'll show you. Let 
us go over here." (Leads the way back of a desk where 15 
a light is burning, Burton following. Redding opens 
the book, but lays it face down on the desk.) 

"Mr. Burton, you have quite a stock of goods here." 

Burton: "Well, pretty fair. It isn't as large as 
some. 20 

Redding: "Perhaps not, but what you have is un- 
doubtedly worth a lot of money. I suppose you have 
it insured?" 

Burton: "Yes, of course." 

Redding: "And as this building is not fireproof, you 25 
undoubtedly see to it that you carry a good coverage 
on it. A man wouldn't be very comfortable if he 
couldn't get his merchandise insured. I suppose, too, 
you carry compensation insurance." 

Burton: "Yes, we really have to." 30 

Redding: "Well, you have three important things 
to insure — your stock, your employees, and one other." 
(Pauses to let Burton think a minute and wonder what 
he means.) 

Burton: "What is the other?" 35 

Redding: "The other is the only thing you can't re- 
place. You can replace your stock and your employees, 
but you can't replace the brains that make this busi- 
ness what it is. If anything happens to you the chief 
asset of the business disappears. Nothing can replace 40 
you. 

"And the worst of it is that, while any other losses 
fall first upon you, and only incidentally upon your 
family, the loss of you, the real foundation upon which 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 317 

the success of this business rests, would fall entirely 45 
upon your wife and your children." 

Burton: "I suppose you are talking life insurance." 

Redding: "I'm really talking brain insurance, ability 
insurance, good-will insurance. What we call life in- 
surance is really indemnity — not for the loss of a life, 50 
but for the loss of the knowledge, experience, ability, 
reputation, and good will which have made a man suc- 
cessful and valuable as an asset to his business and his 
family." 

Burton: "Well, I don't want any life insurance. I've 55 
already got several policies." (Makes a move, as if to 
turn away.) 

(Redding picks up the book, turning it face up. Bur- 
ton looks. He reads the following, neatly typed and 
well spaced: 60 

Proposal for Mr. Henry Burton, 33 Cass St. 
A Triple Alliance 

1. Family protected against loss of his 
earning power. 

2. Self and wife protected in old age. 

3. Policy value a sinking fund for emer- 
gency credit. 

Plan 

1. $100 a month life income to wife--20 
years certain. 

2. $18,380, old-age fund, to self and wife 
at aoout age 65. 

3. Sinking fund growing every year, serves 
as collateral for "business or personal 
loans at fixed interest rate. 

Redding: "A life insurance policy ought to provide 
three things, Mr. Burton: 



318 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

"First, it should provide an income to the family if a 
man dies prematurely. Note I say an income. It is not 
enough to provide a sum of money. When a woman 65 
gets a sum of money her troubles have just begun. She 
has new and untried burdens. How is she going to in- 
vest the money and keep it invested the balance of her 
life so as to get the best income from it and yet not lose 
any of her principal ? The thing to do is for the man to 70 
take care of the investing for his wife while he is here. 
My company simplifies the whole proposition by writ- 
ing a contract to pay a stated monthly income for life. 
Bills come in monthly and that's the way a wife should 
have her money coming in. It is wonderful what a com- 75 
fort a monthly check is to the wife who is deprived of 
her husband's help in matters of business. No worry 
about the safety of the money or the payment of the 
interest. At a given time each month, the check comes, 
as if the husband and father were in another city mail- so 
ing a check each month, just as he used to do when the 
family went away for a vacation. Suppose you were 
going away to-morrow to be gone six months, Mr. Bur- 
ton. You would probably arrange with your office to 
make a certain deposit every month in your wife's bank ss 
account; at any rate, you would make some arrange- 
ment so that she would have the money every month 
for running expenses. This is the same proposition. 
You merely arrange with our office to send Mrs. Burton 
a check every month as long as she lives, after you have 90 
started on what Charles Frohman, when he was sinking 
on the Lusitania, called 'the great adventure.' Isn't 
that really a splendid arrangement and a great comfort 
for a woman ? 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 



3i9 



"The second point is, perhaps, almost as important, 95 
if not equally so. Life is a big hill. Like the battalion 
in the famous saying, a man walks up a hill and down 
again. It's like this" (using a pencil). 

Age 55-60 



Age 20 



"The grade is long and easy during young manhood and 
middle life. But before fifty it begins to be a heavier 100 
pull, with a sharp upgrade to fifty-five or sixty. Then 
the descent is begun. It is downhill. Strength begins 
to wane. Physical stamina is impaired. The human 
machine begins to show wear. Sometimes the down- 
grade is sharp like this: 105 

Age 55-60 




Age 20 



Sometimes it is long and easy like this 

Age 55-60 



Age 20 



3 2o THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

What makes the difference ? Sometimes there are sev- 
eral factors tending to make the grade easy and long. 
Happy family relations, good friends, etc. But one of 
the most important is a competence for one's old age no 
which eliminates worry and the necessity of struggling 
for an income, with the constant feeling that one's 
powers are fast slipping and that one can't make head- 
way against the downhill pull. An income for old age 
makes old age a happy period in which to enjoy one's 115 
children and their successes and their children. The 
sense of independence, the ability to get on without 
having to be helped by one's children or anybody else, 
all this tends to produce a state of contentment and 
happiness and to prolong the descent of the grade of 120 
old age. Our proposition not only provides an income 
to your family if you die prematurely, but it makes sure 
an income to you and your wife in your old age. 

"The third point is also an important one — decidedly 
so. It is here that our policy becomes an aid to business. 125 
All the while it is serving to protect the family in case 
of premature death and building the foundation of an 
old-age income, it is working as a special credit aid. If 
money has to be borrowed at the bank, a statement of 
the amount of life insurance carried increases confi- 130 
dence of the bank in your credit. They know you and 
you will be good if you live. If you don't, you carry a 
good line of life insurance. Many of the Federal Re- 
serve banks now have in the loan application a question 
regarding the amount of insurance carried. The policy 135 
values increase, as you know, from year to year. The 
inventory account shows after severalyears that you 
are increasing the policy value by as much as the 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 321 

amount of your deposits. You are building up a sink- 
ing fund — a good business practice. It gives you an 140 
added feeling of security, for it is in the nature of a 
surplus which you can draw on in case of emergency. 
You know you think well of a bank or of any other con- 
cern that carries a good surplus. It is an evidence of 
prudence and foresight." 145 

Burton: "That's all true. It looks like a good propo- 
sition, but I have all the insurance I can afford to 
carry." 

Redding: "May I ask how much insurance you are 
carrying, Mr. Burton?" 150 

Burton: "Five thousand dollars." 

Redding: "Five thousand dollars! Do you mean to 
say you rate your capitalized earning power at a total 
of not over #5,000? Why, you earn more than that in 
one year. An income of $5,000 is 5 per cent on #100,- 155 
000. Suppose you owned a property that netted you 
#5,000 a year, wouldn't y©u figure its value at about 
#100,000? Is there any difference to your family be- 
tween the value of such a property and the productive 
value of yourself? There is not, if both are insured. 160 
But if the property were fully insured and you were not 
fully insured, then there would be a difference, for the 
property loss would be compensated in case of fire, but 
the loss of you would not be compensated in case of 
your death. May I ask how long you have had this 165 
insurance?" 

Burton: "Since I was twenty-six years old." 

Redding: "Well, #5,000 may have been all right 
then. You were young and not earning a great deal, 
comparatively speaking, and your family was not so no 



322 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

large as it is now; also, a dollar was worth more then 
than it is worth now. But you have grown in value to 
yourself and your family. As your business has grown, 
you have increased the insurance on your increasing 
stock of goods, but you have not protected your in- 175 
creasing personal value. 

"How many children have you, Mr. Burton ?" 

Burton: "Three." 

Redding: "And how many did you have when you 
were twenty-six ? " iso 

Burton: "None." 

Redding: "Yet you have not increased your protec- 
tion. You had #5,000 for your wife alone. She 
wouldn't need less if you should die now than she 
would have needed if you had died at twenty-six. So iss 
there is no insurance, at least none has been added, for 
the three children. I am sure you agree that they 
really ought to have protection as well as your wife. 

"Moreover, that $5,000 isn't really worth what it 
was when you were twenty-six. That is, it won't buy 190 
so much. It won't buy more than half as much. In 
other words, $2,500 would have done as much for your 
wife had you died at twenty-six, as the whole $5,000 
would do for her now. To put it another way, it would 
take $10,000 now to give her the same advantages 195 
which she could have secured fifteen or sixteen years 
ago for $5,000. 

"Of course, I can see that you figure on your savings 
and your investments and the value of your growing 
business to increase the family income when you die, 200 
and that is a reasonable point of view. It is natural 
to do so, but we don't stop to think, as we should, that 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 323 

the losses which come to other people may also come 



to us. 



You knew Mr. Abels. He had a good business and 205 
he had quite a little property. He died five years ago 
and I suppose you know what has happened to his 



estate. ,, 



(Burton nods his head.) 

Redding: " Everybody thought of Mr. Abels's family 210 
as being well fixed; but to-day the business is gone and 
the investments are practically all lost. However, I 
am glad to say that he left his family a fairly good in- 
come policy. That policy is to-day the sole support of 
a family whom we all regarded as being in comfortable 215 
circumstances. It goes to show that, however good a 
man's business is, he can't furnish the brains to manage 
the business and to look after the investments after he 
is gone. Women are not experienced in these matters 
and it is hard for them to find competent persons to 220 
represent them. 

"Mr. Burton, I have a plan which will give you the 
absolute certainty that Mrs. Burton can take care of 
those little kiddies of yours if the unexpected happens 
and you should be taken prematurely. I say the unex- 225 
pected. Of course, if you expected that you would die 
within a week or a month or even a year, there would 
be no question in your mind. You would want this 
proposition as quickly as I could get it fixed up for you. 
But you don't expect to die soon. A man never expects 230 
to die at any particular time. We know lots of things, 
but we don't know when a man will die. If we knew 
you would die soon the company wouldn't insure you. 
It is only while you are in good health and don't expect 



3 2 4 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

to die soon and look as if you wouldn't that you can 235 
get insurance. 

"You have #5,000 now. Invested at 6 per cent that 
would bring in $300 a year. Not very much, is it?" 

Burton (looking rather embarrassed) : "No, it isn't." 

Redding: "You see, we don't really understand the 240 
true value of an amount of insurance, or of any sum of 
money, unless we figure the income it will produce. 
You might let that #5,000 stand to provide cash at your 
death, for there is always a certain amount of cash 
needed. Now let us figure on a monthly income for 245 
Mrs. Burton. If anything should happen to your estate 
and she and the children had nothing but your insur- 
ance to live on, how much of an income do you think 
would be necessary to provide the absolute necessaries 
of life — rent, food, clothing, doctor's bills, schooling, 250 
and incidentals?" 

Burton: "I don't know." 

Redding: "Would #200 a month do it?" 

Burton: "It might." 

Redding: "I think it might; but it would require 255 
pretty close management in view of the scale of living 
to which your family is now accustomed." 

Burton: "What would #200 a month cost me?" 

Redding: "When were you born?" 

Burton: "November 10, 1876." (Forty-three years, 260 
in 1919.) 

Redding: "When was Mrs. Burton born?" 

Burton: "She was forty the first of October — Octo- 
ber 1, 1879." 

Redding: "The annual premium for a life income of 265 
$200 a month is #1,348.20." 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 325 

Burton: "Can't do it. That's too much for me to 
swing. I won't do anything now." 

Redding: "Of course, Mr. Burton, we must remem- 
ber that you aren't spending all that money. If any- 270 
thing happens to you this will prove to be the most 
profitable investment you ever made for your family; 
and the actual cost of the insurance will be compara- 
tively small if you should eventually have to cash in 
the policy." 275 

Burton: "That isn't the point. I simply can't afford 
to put that much money into anything outside of my 
business at the present time. It is out of the question." 

Redding: "All right then, let us rearrange our plan. 
If you could guarantee #200 a month until the children 280 
have grown up and provide Mrs. Burton #100 a month 
afterward as long as she lived, wouldn't that be a satis- 
factory plan? How old are your children?" 

Burton: "Fifteen, thirteen, and ten." 

Redding : " Boys or girls ? " 28a 

Burton: "All boys." 

Redding: "Suppose Mrs. Burton could have $200 
a month for ten years and #100 a month thereafter as 
long as she lived. Even if you should die right away, 
she would receive $200 a year until the youngest child 290 
was twenty years old. By that time the other children 
would be old enough to take care of themselves and to 
help with the expenses at home. A hundred dollars a 
month would then be enough to make Mrs. Burton 
comfortable. That looks like a sensible plan, doesn't 295 
it?" 

Burton: "How much would that cost?" 

Redding: "The $100 a month for life would require 



326 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

a deposit of about $674 a year; the #100 a month for 
ten years would take only about $360 — a total of about 300 

£1,035." 

Burton: "That seems like a pretty high rate." 

Redding: "It really only seems so. That is on the 
ordinary life basis, and the rate is only about 3.4 per 
cent, with a slight extra charge to continue the life in- 305 
come beyond twenty years. You know that #100 a 
month for life is guaranteed for twenty years. If, for 
instance, Mrs. Burton died five years after you did, the 
children would get $200 a month for five years longer 
and would then receive #100 a month for ten years 310 
longer." (Burton doesn't understand at first and 
Redding explains further.) 

Burton: "Still that's high. I guess I won't do any- 
thing now. Come in and see me a few months from 
now." 315 

Redding: "That rate is less than three and one-half 
per cent. It is really remarkably low. Where could 
you get the use of money for three and one-half per 
cent ? Ordinarily you pay five to six per cent for money 
you borrow, and have to pay it back. I offer to sell you 320 
a contract to deliver money at a time when your wife 
will need it most for less than three and one-half per 
cent a year and it will never have to be paid back. 
When you look at it in that way, you can see it is really 
a low rate. And remember these four per cent pay- 325 
ments are largely in the nature of deposits. They are 
not only carrying your insurance, but they are building 
up a constantly increasing sinking fund which you can 
draw on in an emergency and which, if you live to an 
age when you need the money more than you do the 330 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 327 

insurance, will provide you a substantial old-age fund. 
In what other way can you get so much that you need 
for so little? — emergency protection for your business, 
an old-age fund for yourself and your wife, and, best of 
all, a certain income for your family if anything happens 335 
to you. 

"And you know there are annual dividends. These 
will reduce your annual deposits from about thirty- 
four dollars to about thirty-two dollars a thousand the 
second year, if the present scale continues, and in ten 340 
years to about twenty-seven dollars to twenty-eight 
dollars a thousand. " 

Burton: "What are the cash values of that policy ?" 

Redding (multiplies the fifth, tenth, fifteenth, and 
twentieth cash values per thousand, omitting cents) : 345 
"Just a moment. At the end of the fifth year, about 
$2,726; at the end of the tenth year, $5,720; at the end 
of the fifteenth year, $8,879; an( ^ at tne enc ^ °f tne 
twentieth year, $12,077." 

Burton: "How much will I have paid in during 350 
twenty years?" 

Redding: "Roughly, about $17,000, if the present 
dividend scale continues." (Figuring rapidly.) "That 
is less than nine dollars a thousand a year. Wonder- 
fully inexpensive. And you would have $12,000 saved 355 
up." 

Burton: "Is the present dividend scale likely to 
continue ? " 

Redding: "I couldn't promise, though I think it 
probably will. Of course, we can't be absolutely sure 360 
of anything in the future except that the company will 
have to pay that $200 a month to your family or pay 



328 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

you an old-age fund of about $12,000 at age sixty-three. 
But the company's dividend record has been a fine one 
and dividends have been maintained at a most satisfac- 365 
tory rate over a considerable period of years. There is 
one thing you can always be sure of — that the business 
will be conducted economically and that the state in- 
surance departments are on the job to see to it that the 
company transacts its business properly if it should 370 
ever happen that there was any tendency to do other- 
wise. However, as you know, there is probably no 
other business in the country which has been so uni- 
formly well conducted in the interest of the public as 
the life insurance business. 375 

"There is no business whose earnings are more stable 
than those of the life insurance companies. Your life 
insurance dividends, or surplus refunds, are likely to 
be more stable than the payment of almost any stock 
dividends, over a long period of years." (Redding 380 
takes out the application and his fountain pen.) " You 
want to make this income payable to Mrs. Burton, 
don't you?" 

Burton: "Yes." 

Redding: "What is Mrs. Burton's full name?" 385 

Burton: "Julia Moore." 

Redding: "And in case of her death you want the 
boys to get the income in equal shares?" 

Burton: "Yes." 

Redding: "What are the boys' full names?" 3 

Burton: "George Moore, John Redmond, and Peter 
Lee." (Redding proceeds to ask questions and to fill 
out the application blank. He hands his pen to Bur- 
ton, placing his finger on the dotted line.) 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 329 

Redding: "Just write your name here." 395 

(Burton signs.) 

Redding : "I'll make out the receipt for the premium. 
Do you want to pay this in cash or by check?" 

Burton: "You mean pay it now?" 

Redding: "Yes. Your receipt is attached to the ap- 400 
plication you just signed. This puts the insurance in 
force at once if the application is approved, and if any- 
thing happens in the meantime the insurance is paid. 
If you need coverage to-morrow or next week, you need 
it to-day." (Fills out the receipt and hands it to Burton, 405 
who makes out a check for the first premium.) 

the necessary steps in thinking out the appeals 

to present: illustrated in terms of the 

redding-burton interview 

First of all jot down (a) the best " picture " possible 
of your prospect, (b) the proposition you believe best 
fits his needs, and (c) the convictions and (d) the im- 
pulses he must have before he will buy. 

(a) is illustrated under the heading of "Picture" 

given above. 

(b) is given under the heading of "Plan" and fol- 

lowing line 60. 

(c) The convictions Mr. Burton must have before 

he will buy insurance are: 

(1) My family must be assured of a mini- 

mum income. 

(2) My wife and I must have protection in 

old age. 

(3) A sinking fund is essential for emer- 

gencies. 



330 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

(4) This insurance is the only method which 

will provide for my family, myself, 
and my business, for — 

(a) My present business is not 

sufficient in case I die. 

(b) My present business may not 

be sufficient in my old age. 

(c) My present insurance is not 

adequate. 

(5) I can afford further insurance. 

(d) The impulses Mr. Burton must have before he 
will buy insurance are: 

(1) Love for wife. (Her happiness in case 

of my death dependent upon suffi- 
cient income.) 

(2) Love for children. 

(3) Fear of business failure in years to come. 

(4) Desire for ease and comfort in old age. 

(5) Desire for approval from others — wife, 

children, acquaintances, Mr. Redding. 

(6) Fighting instinct aroused by knowledge 

that financial difficulties due to death 
and possibility of business failure can 
be overcome — family and self can be 
protected in old age — through re- 
newed efforts. 
Second, analyze each of the convictions to deter- 
mine whether he already possesses fhem or not; and 
if so to what extent. Burton should have, to begin 
with, strong belief in the desirability of protection for 
his family now in case of his death and for his wife 
and self in their old age, also of a sinking fund in case 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 331 

of emergencies. He probably is convinced that his 
business would not be sufficient for the needs of his 
family if he should die, nor for himself in old age. But 
he doesn't like to view his business in that light, and 
hopes for the best. It will be necessary to bring all of 
these convictions clearly before him and make him 
realize their significance. Then when he is further 
convinced that his present insurance is not adequate 
and that he can afford further insurance the final con- 
viction can be fully established in his mind — i.e., that 
the insurance proposition is the only method which will 
provide for his family, himself, and his business. 

Third, plan out very carefully the ideas you must 
present so that the prospect will become possessed of 
the convictions you think he does not now have. Lead 
to the idea of "insurance upon himself" through "in- 
surance on his stock, building, and liability for acci- 
dents to employees. " Then present the proposition 
and establish all of the convictions with which Mr. 
Burton is already more or less possessed. The two 
convictions, that "my present insurance is not ade- 
quate," and "I can afford further insurance," can be 
taken care of when they arise. 

As he will buy, however, only upon the arousal of his 
impulses to love of wife, children, etc., the presentations 
must be planned to take sufficient time (in minutes) 
properly to camouflage the arousal of these impulses. 

Fourth, plan out how you will arouse the desired im- 
pulses, "Love of wife" is brought to mind through 
discussion of "income," "a woman's troubles with 
money and business," "maintenance of family when 
away from home on a vacation," etc. (lines 63-94). 



332 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

"Fear of business failure" is well depicted in the 
drawings of going up and down hill, also such phrases 
as "one's powers are fast slipping/' "an income for 
old age makes old age a happy period in which to 
enjoy one's children and their successes and their 
children," "the sense of independence, the ability to 
get on without having to be helped by one's children 
or anybody else, tends to produce a state of content- 
ment and happiness and to prolong the descent of the 
grade of old age" (lines 95-123). 

"Love of children" is sufficiently emphasized in "so 
there is no insurance, at least none has been added, 
for the three children" (lines 185-188). This sentence 
also puts Burton under obligation to explain why he 
can get along on #5,000 insurance, else Redding will 
certainly look down upon him as one who is not prop- 
erly taking care of his children. 

"Fighting instinct aroused." "Policy values in- 
crease, as you know, from year to year" (lines 128- 
145), etc., appeal to sense of growing security and 
power. "As your business has grown, you have in- 
creased the insurance on your increasing stock of 
goods, but you have not protected your increasing 
personal value" (lines 169-176). "You can do better 
than Mr. Abels," is the implication of lines 205-221. 

I have a plan which will "give you the absolute cer- 
tainty that Mrs. Burton can take care of those little 
kiddies of yours if the unexpected happens and you 
should be taken prematurely," etc. (lines 222-236). 
The implication is that a man will guard against all 
dangers confronting his family. 

"Approval from others." Hinted at in referring 






SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 333 

to Mrs. Burton; again in case of the children (line 224); 
also in case of Mr. Abels (lines 205-221). In referring 
to present insurance of $5,000, Redding emphasizes 
the income of $300 which it will bring and says, "Not 
very much, is it?" Burton (looking rather embar- 
rassed) replies, "No, it isn't." Burton can't escape 
Redding and keep his self-respect except by presenting 
reasons why his present insurance is sufficient or why 
he can't financially afford more. This he can't do. 
To the extent that he desires Redding's approval, to 
that extent he must buy. 

Fifth, determine the general order of presenting 
ideas and incitements. After a canvass of the entire 
situation it appears that the best opening is that of 
leading from "insurance on his stock, building, and 
liability for accidents to employees" to insurance for 
Burton. Insurance on the first three items Burton is 
convinced is wise. Hence, discussion of these points 
will undoubtedly hold Burton's interest and will divert 
him from his other work. Then to link up this new 
point with the three will be a novel idea, a combination 
of old-established thoughts in a new form — always 
interesting. His interest will be held until the point 
has been made. Once launched upon the subject, the 
proposition in toto can be presented. And before Bur- 
ton can turn it down there should be time to arouse 
several impulses. Once they are aroused they should 
keep him listening. 

CONCLUSION 

Lessons XIX to XXIII have presented the five steps 
in the Strategy of Selling. If the five questions are 
fully answered, the salesman will have a clear idea of: 



334 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

i. The prospect. 

2. The proposition to be made him. 

3. The convictions the prospect must have. 

4. The impulses he must have. 

5. The ideas and incitements that must be presented 
before he will buy. 

In figuring out just what to say to the prospect — 
i.e., in answering step 5 above, the salesman should 
ask himself further these questions: 

1. What convictions that the prospect must have 
does he already possess ? (Such need only be touched 
upon in the interview, or else used as stepping-stones 
to other convictions. But do not overlook the fact 
that they must be brought clearly into his mind during 
the presentation. We act only upon convictions that 
are consciously before us.) 

2. What ideas must I present to him so that he will 
become possessed of those convictions he does not 
now have? 

3. How shall I motivate these new ideas so that he 
will be interested in them although they are new? 

4. How shall I motivate the whole sales interview 
in order to secure action? 

5. In what order shall I call to mind his settled con- 
victions which I want to use and present the new ideas; 
also at what points shall I introduce motivation? 

This analysis may seem very long. It may make a 
salesman feel it is more than he can do, that he can't 
possibly give that amount of time to planning out 
one interview. Recall to mind how much time a 
lawyer or a minister or a public speaker puts in pre- 
paring for his work. Should you expect to make a 
success in your line with much less effort than they 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 335 

in theirs? Also remember that the proper prepara- 
tion for the first interview is also a partial prepara- 
tion for the second and the third. And after a while 
the time necessary to plan out an adequate presenta- 
tion will be very little contrasted with the laborious 
effort at the start. There will be a dividend for each 
expenditure of thought after the first. 

ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON XXIV 

Having now an understanding of the Strategy of 
Selling Insurance, we are ready to consider the Strategy 
and Tactics of the Buyer. 

Put yourself in the place of the average man who is 
called upon by a salesman. Immediately you realize 
that you do not passively await a salesman nor pas- 
sively want to be sold the salesman's goods or serv- 
ices. What is the primary idea that dominates your 
attitude toward the salesman? Just what is it that a 
prospect wants to do ? 

Having decided what is the strategy of the prospect, 
next determine what steps he will take to carry it out. 
These steps we can designate as the tactics of his cam- 
paign. Think of yourself as occupying the place of a 
typical prospect, such as a banker, a retail grocer, a 
minister, a buyer for a large corporation, or the like. 
Imagine what his thoughts and actions will be in each 
case, beginning at the point of receiving word that a 
salesman desires to see him. 

Summarize your ideas and write out in as definite a 
manner as possible (1) what the strategy of the pros- 
pect is and (2) what his tactics are. 



SECTION D. THE STRATEGY AND 
TACTICS OF THE PROSPECT 

Herein is discussed why the prospect admits 
the salesman to his presence and what he has in 
mind as he listens to the salesman's opening re- 
marks. Also the different ways by which the 
prospect decides to end the interview and get rid 
of the salesman, or to continue listening further. 



LESSON XXIV. THE STRATEGY AND 
TACTICS OF THE PROSPECT 

Fluctuations between the desire to see and not to see 
strangers. The average business man views the 
strangers who come to his office as belonging in two 
classes: first, those who desire to buy goods or serv- 
ice from him — i.e., his clients; and, second, all others. 
(If the business man is a buyer, there are always certain 
salesmen he desires to see because of his business 
relations with them.) The first group are always 
welcomed even when they happen to come at an 
inopportune time. Members of the second group are 
looked upon as a nuisance and would rigorously be 
kept out if it were possible. But it is not. 

Every business man realizes that some few strangers 
bring to his attention propositions that are very much 
to his advantage. Either they have goods or service 
well worth while buying, or they give him information 
which keeps him up to date along the lines of his 
business interests. Such strangers must be seen. And, 
for a variety of personal reasons, the same necessarily 
applies to certain other strangers. Prominent men, 
in general, are worth meeting. Leaders in the pros- 
pect's own field are acquaintances to be desired. 
Thus a telephone official from Atlanta is always wel- 
come in the telephone office at Portland, Maine, or 
Portland, Oregon. Or the constable in Podunk County 
is glad to shake the hand of a constable from Texas. 



338 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

The opinion of our particular associates means much 
more to us than the opinion of men in totally foreign 
lines of business and, in consequence, we enjoy meeting 
those who are in a sense our competitors and in sizing 
ourselves up with them. Then there are strangers who 
are very intimate friends of our personal friends and 
they must be received because our personal friends 
have directed them our way. And again certain 
strangers must be met, for no other reason than that 
they will injure our reputation with those we esteem 
if they are turned away. For example, a young coun- 
try banker on visiting New York City may desire to 
meet the head of the New York bank with whom his 
bank does business. He may have no real reason for 
the visit. But if he is not courteously received he will 
injure the reputation of the New York banker at home 
among his acquaintances. Very few men can continue 
to exclude such callers once they realize the effect it 
has upon their personal reputations, any more than 
they can refuse to tip the girl who returns their hat 
outside the dining room. 

A business man is thus constantly fluctuating be- 
tween a determination, on the one hand, to exclude all 
but clients from his ofhce in order that he may concen- 
trate on his regular work, and a realization, on the other 
hand, that he must meet many of the strangers who 
call upon him. In consequence, he contrives all sorts 
of arrangements to sort his callers into groups, exclud- 
ing some and receiving others. As no one has ever suc- 
ceeded in handling this situation in a perfectly satis- 
factory manner, business men are constantly changing 
their systems in terms of their individual experiences. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 339 

The point of interest to a salesman in this connection 
is that the average business man does not wish to see 
him when he comes as a stranger and that the business 
man has established certain barriers to keep him out. 
What the barriers are vary with different business men. 
They differ so much that the same request for an inter- 
view will be acceptable in one case and disastrous in 
another. And, due to the constant change in systems, 
it may very well be that a caller next year will secure 
an interview though he follows the same method which 
ended in failure the year before. How to make practi- 
cal use of all this knowledge in securing an interview 
will be discussed later in Section E, "The Tactics of 
Selling." 

Handling strangers. Regardless of the system set 
up by any business man to exclude strangers whose 
proposition is not interesting to him, every business 
man realizes that among the strangers who get past his 
barriers are many with whom he does not want to deal. 
In consequence, the chief desire of the business man is 
to size up the stranger and his proposition as quickly 
as possible and, if the proposition is uninteresting, to 
get rid of the stranger as soon as possible. But because 
few business men feel they can afford to have others 
speak of them as discourteous, they will usually try to 
manage their dismissals without trace of rudeness. 

The methods of sizing up a stranger's proposition 
and of dismissing him are legion. They depend very 
largely upon the intelligence and temperament of the 
business man. Some jump at conclusions and are quick 
to dismiss, some are quick to size up the proposition 
but slow in acting, others are slow in deciding what the 



340 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

stranger has to offer, but dismiss him almost immedi- 
ately once the decision is made that the proposition is 
uninteresting, and still others procrastinate throughout 
the interview. As far as easiness in selling goes, it makes 
little difference which of these four lines of defense are 
held by prospects. The salesman must anticipate the 
responses of different prospects and handle them 
accordingly. 

The reaction of one type of prospect can be generally 
predicted — that is, that of the buyer of a large com- 
pany. He can be counted on to be actively on the 
defensive against all salesmen. Unless such a prospect 
decides favorably upon sizing up the proposition, there 
is little chance of selling him at all. His daily contact 
with salesmen and the development of superior meth- 
ods of dismissing individuals make him a difficult man 
to handle. Yet thousands of wholesale salesmen make 
their livings by selling to him. 

Summary. The strategy of the prospect is : 
i. To exclude as many strangers as possible from 
seeing him. 

2. If they do reach him, to size up their proposition 
as soon as possible. 

3. If the proposition is not interesting, to dismiss the 
salesman in a courteous manner. 

4. If the proposition is interesting, to continue 
listening. 

TACTICS OF THE PROSPECT 

The strategy of the prospect is relatively simple. 
And his tactics are equally so. But whereas the strat-» 
egy of all prospects can be expressed in a few words, 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 341 

the tactics utilized in carrying out the strategy vary 
enormously with different prospects. Each prospect 
has a rather large collection of devices which he uses as 
occasion demands. 

Reaction to the personality of the salesman. Other 
things being equal, the more the salesman commands 
instinctive reactions of submissiveness, the more cour- 
teous will be the treatment accorded by the prospect 
or his subordinates, and the slower the prospect will be 
in sizing up the salesman's proposition. On the other 
hand, the more submissive the reaction of the salesman 
to the prospect or to his subordinates, the quicker will 
be his dismissal. 

Keeping strangers away. The tactics followed by 
business men in keeping strangers from interviewing 
them are too well known to all to need listing here. An 
attempt to.interview twenty-five business or professional 
men will reveal the devices resorted tolin this connection. 

As securing an interview is dependent very largely 
upon the skill with which a salesman overcomes these 
barriers, it is extremely important that the prospective 
salesman should obtain first-hand knowledge of the 
various devices and develop several methods for over- 
coming each one. (Lesson XXV considers this topic in 
detail.) 

Sizing up the proposition. A business man, or, for 
that matter, anyone, upon hearing some one talking 
reacts by paying attention a few moments. After this 
first period of becoming oriented, one of three reactions 
follows : 

I. Because the topic is interesting, the business man 
gives himself up to listening. 



342 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

2. Because the topic is uninteresting, he ceases to 
pay the little attention given at the start. 

3. Because the topic is interesting, but its implica- 
tion is not clear, he continues to pay attention in much 
the same way as at the beginning. 

The most characteristic element in the state of atten- 
tion of the third case is the presence of the question: 
"What's he talking about? What's he driving at?" 
Coupled with this inquiring attitude is a restlessness or 
irritation because one is held in suspense and can neither 
freely give oneself up to enjoying the discussion nor, on 
the other hand, dismiss it from mind. 

One "decides" whether a proposition is interesting 
or not in two rather different ways — i.e., upon the basis 
of instinctive interests or upon the basis of administra- 
tive habits. Thus, if the discussion is interesting be- 
cause of instinctive or related interests, one "gets down 
on the right side of the fence" without realizing it. If 
there is nothing of interest in the discussion, one "jumps 
down on the left-hand side" and goes about one's busi- 
ness (or in the case of being interviewed, one dismisses 
the salesman in the easiest way possible). 

On the other hand, if the discussion is upon a topic 
which is related to one's everyday affairs, it is quickly 
classified and reacted to in terms of a habit of business 
administration. Here one is conscious of the classifica- 
tion and climbs down the fence on one side or the other, 
knowing clearly just what is being done. 

The reaction is made in the first case without any 
conscious thought of the fact that one is making a 
decision — one just is interested or not. In the second 
case, one makes a decision — i.e., that this is a good or 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 343 

poor proposition, as the case may be. But if one re- 
mains perched on the fence one shortly develops a feel- 
ing of annoyance that the meaning of the speaker 
should remain obscure. 

To illustrate the above, imagine five men in the office 
with Mr. Alderson when Harrington calls upon him 
(recorded in Lesson II). We are acquainted with Mr. 
Alderson. Mr. B. is a business associate of Alderson 
and has just taken out a policy with Harrington similar 
to the one later sold to Alderson. Mr. C. is a farmer 
who looks after Alderson's country estate. Mr. D. is 
yourself — interested in the strategy and tactics of sell- 
ing insurance. Mr. E. lost one-third of #100,000 be- 
queathed to him by his father through the failure of a 
savings bank. And Mr. F. is a young man just out of 
college who has secured a position with Mr. Alderson. 
Let us consider hurriedly how these six men will react 
to Harrington's opening remarks: 

"A completion plan." 

"Anything you can't finish yourself." 

"Life insurance — plus!" 

"Plus corporate administration." 

"You believe in corporate trusteeship as against in- 
dividual trustees." 

"You believe that the corporate trusteeship gives 
greater security as to safety of principal, cer- 
tainty of interest, and service to the beneficiary 
of the trust." 

Mr. B. is interested in the policy he has just taken 
out and is interested in seeing Alderson do likewise. 
He immediately jumps down on the right-hand side 
of the fence — i.e., becomes absorbed in the discus- 



344 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

sion. Mr. C, the farmer, knows nothing of what 
Harrington is talking about and shortly wanders off on 
the left side of the fence. Alderson is interested in 
corporate trusteeship, but for the life of him he can't 
see what it has to do with life insurance and so must 
stay on top of the fence. His annoyance at the situa- 
tion shows itself in his vehemence of line 79 and lines 
87-89. These three men (B., C, and Alderson) have 
acted without being conscious of how, or why. 

The other three men (D., E., and F.) act deliberately. 
For example, Mr. D., yourself, immediately says to 
Himself, "Here's a fine chance to watch a salesman sell 
insurance. Let's see how he does it." He classifies the 
discussion under his habit of picking up information on 
selling insurance. Mr. E. says to himself, "Ah, cor- 
porate administration, trust company, nothing doing." 
His loss of £3 3,000 is the cause of the development of a 
habit whereby he reacts negatively to anything con- 
nected with banking. Mr. F. stays on the fence awhile 
because he doesn't know what Harrington and Aider- 
son are talking about, but because Alderson is interested 
he maintains an interest in the conversation. He is then 
interested, but at the same time annoyed at not being 
able to size up the situation. 

When one reacts to a proposition, then, in terms of 
one's interests one does so whole-heartedly with little 
or no attention to one's actions. When the reaction 
comes because of business habits, on the other hand, it 
takes place with full consciousness of what one is doing. 
If one is unable to decide, one becomes more and more 
irritated and even tends to fly into a rage. 

The skillful salesman strives to get the prospect off 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 345 

the fence on the right side by stirring up both kinds of 
reactions. (See Lessons XXVIII and XXX.) But in 
this lesson we are concerned with what the prospect 
does. 

The prospect will not attempt to dismiss the sales- 
man until he has sized up the proposition he is present- 
ing. He will not do so for the reasons advanced at the 
beginning of this lesson as to why he sees strangers at 
all, coupled with the fact that once he has admitted 
the stranger to his office he is honor bound to listen to 
what he has to say. But both these causes for listening 
to him vanish as soon as he is satisfied that the proposi- 
tion is uninteresting to him. The point at which he 
sizes up the proposition must come early in the inter- 
view or else he will become so exasperated at his state 
of indecision that he will fly off the handle and the sale 
will be irremediably lost. 

Prospects differ greatly in their manner toward a 
salesman during the period they are sizing up his propo- 
sition. Some "lie low" and let him talk until they have 
made up their minds. Others attempt to force the issue 
— to compel the salesman to come to the point immedi- 
ately. Because the former permit the salesman to give 
his carefully prepared approach, they, on the surface, 
appear the easier to sell to. It is doubtful if this is the 
case. For such prospects say little or nothing until 
their decision is reached and in consequence the sales- 
man cannot tell whether he is making a good impression 
or not. On the other hand, the prospect who attempts 
to force an immediate statement of the issue undoubt- 
edly breaks up the salesman's plans, but he also affords 
the latter plenty of opportunity for discovering his 



346 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

interests and just what effect each statement has made 
upon him. And, in general, it is a desirable thing to 
get the prospect talking, especially in the early part of 
the interview. 

Dismissing the salesman. The analysis of the pros- 
pect's strategy and tactics so far makes clear that the 
prospect will attempt to dismiss the salesman as soon 
as he decides that the salesman's proposition is unin- 
teresting. This emphasizes the very great need for 
developing interest from the very start. It also em- 
phasizes that the prospect will attempt to dismiss the 
salesman in the majority of cases before the salesman 
has been able to state his proposition in an adequate 
manner. Methods for meeting these contingencies are 
discussed in Lessons XXV and XXVI. 

But in this connection the third element of the pros- 
pect's strategy must not be overlooked. "He desires 
to dismiss the salesman in a courteous manner." There 
is a certain leeway between the first attempt to dismiss 
and the complete dismissal which will be devoid of cour- 
tesy. During this interval, the salesman can employ 
further devices for keeping the prospect's mind diverted 
from his work and for arousing his interest. 

The length of this leeway between the first attempt 
and the complete dismissal varies with different pros- 
pects. It also varies markedly with any one prospect, 
depending upon his earlier experiences during the day 
and upon his health, fatigue, and instinctive attitude 
toward the salesman before him. As already related, 
the writer had no sooner stated who he was to one army 
colonel before he received a most incensed dismissal in 
which the colonel nearly laid violent hands upon him, 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 347 

Standing at attention, he was able to weather the 
storm, however, and then, because of the colonel's 
realization of his unwarranted outbreak, succeeded most 
easily in selling him his service. The outbreak was, of 
course, of a sort similar to Penrod's bottled-up emotion. 
This is an extreme example, but similar cases happen 
frequently in our daily life where the accumulation of 
irritations throughout the day has brought one's fund 
of courtesy low. 

Just how the prospect will dismiss the salesman 
depends upon the individual prospect. Generally speak- 
ing, prospects who are constantly meeting strangers 
have developed little knacks by which they terminate 
the conversation and bow the caller out before he knows 
he is going, whereas prospects who meet relatively few 
strangers have difficulty in dismissing others. But 
there are marked individual differences here. Wher- 
ever possible, the salesman should obtain information 
on this point, as it will enable him to plan accordingly. 
Thus, Harrington had recorded in his notes that Alder- 
son was "easy of access, but very hard to get an 
interview with if he was not already interested in the 
proposition"; also that he was "courteous, even tem- 
pered, dignified, but firm and quick in his decisions." 
Hudson, on the other hand (see Lesson XVI), was a 
young man and it could be counted on that he would 
not be able to dismiss a salesman with any such snap or 
decision. Harrington's use of the coin (line 114, Les- 
son II) saved the interview with Alderson, for his firm 
and quick decision meant practically no interval be- 
tween first and final dismissal. No such device was 
needed or used in selling Hudson, 



348 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

STRATEGY AND TACTICS OF THE PROSPECT WHO REACTS 
FAVORABLY TO THE PROPOSITION 

A certain number of prospects react favorably to the 
initial presentation of the proposition. But this reac- 
tion does not mean that they are "sold." It means 
only that for the moment they are sufficiently interested 
to allow the salesman to continue with his presentation. 
At any point, thereafter, they may change their minds 
and attempt to dismiss him. 

The method by which the prospect is led to react 
favorably to the initial presentation determines very 
largely his later action. Mr. B. and Mr. D., in the 
illustration given above, view the attempts of Harring- 
ton to sell Alderson in a very different light. Mr. B. 
sits back and enjoys the proceedings, whereas Mr. D. is 
most active intellectually and is analyzing each detail. 
Their attitudes are typical of prospects who have been 
won through interest or through administrative habits. 
The former is enjoying himself, the latter is intellec- 
tually disposing of the case. In either case, the salesman 
may or may not eventually make a sale. But in the for- 
mer case there will be little analysis and few objections, 
while in the latter, objections will be raised and the 
whole matter thoroughly thrashed out. The former 
will buy because he wants to, the latter because he de- 
cides it is to his interest. Of course, nothing in this 
paragraph is intended to imply that once the prospect 
has assumed one or the other of these attitudes he must 
necessarily continue therein. 

Mr. Barnes was won at the very beginning because 
of interest in his son and college education, and his 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 349 

interest was maintained throughout the interview. 
Mr. Hudson, on the other hand, was outmaneuvered at 
the start so that his main defense was captured before 
he realized there would be a war, and finally sold on the 
basis of a habit of administration, to save money, 
coupled with appeals to the mastering instinct — i.e., 
to save and so win his employer's admiration. Hudson 
never enjoyed the interview for a minute and would 
have escaped if he had known how to do so, but he may 
be as thoroughly satisfied with his insurance as Barnes, 
who wanted it as soon as he connected it up with his 
son's education. 

SUMMARY 

Business men admit a salesman to an interview be- 
cause of the possibility that he or his proposition may 
be of advantage. Their chief interest after admitting 
the salesman is to size. up his proposition. If the propo- 
sition does not appear to be interesting, the prospect 
endeavors to get rid of the salesman as quickly as pos- 
sible without rudeness. If the proposition, on the other 
hand, appears to be interesting, the prospect permits 
the salesman to continue. Whether a sale results 
finally or not depends upon other factors than those 
involved in securing the interview. 

ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON XXV 

Section C, "The Strategy of Selling," and Section 
D, "The Strategy and Tactics of the Prospect," have 
been considered. The fifth major division of the text 



3S0 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

now confronts us — i.e.. Section E, "The Tactics of 
Selling." 

What are the steps involved in selling — the actual 
selling when the salesman and prospect are pitted 
against each other? 

The first step is certainly that of Securing an Inter- 
view. The salesman must secure consent from the 
prospect to approach him with his proposition. This 
is true even in those cases where the salesman walks 
right up to the prospect and commences talking to 
him. He must do it in such a way as to secure the 
prospect's tacit permission to continue. Probably 
everyone remembers occasions when he was much an- 
noyed by being confronted by a stranger who took too 
much for granted. Such reactions must be avoided. 

Recall a recent case where you failed to secure an 
interview with a prospect. Write out just what you 
did and the responses made by the prospect and his 
subordinates. 

Write out a plan in the light of this lesson and your 
experience which you think would work next time. 
Check up each step in the plan by asking yourself the 
question, "Will the situation confronting the prospect 
at this point in the interview produce the response I 
want?" 



SECTION E. THE TACTICS OF SELLING 

We have seen that the Strategy of Selling in- 
volves five steps: 

i. Prospect: To whom am I selling ? 

2. Proposition: Exactly what am I selling? 

3. Convictions: What convictions must the pros- 

pect have before he will buy ? 

4. Impulses: What impulses must the prospect 

have before he will buy? 

5. Appeals: What ideas and incitements must I 

present before the prospect will have the 
desired convictions and impulses and buy? 
And the Strategy of the Prospect has been shown 
to consist of these steps : 

1. To exclude as many strangers as possible. 

2. If they do reach him, to size up their proposi- 

tions as soon as possible. 

3. If the proposition is not interesting, to dis- 

miss the salesman in a courteous manner. 

4. If the proposition is interesting, to continue 

listening. 

The salesman who has followed the course this 

far realizes now what preparation he should have 

made before calling on his prospect and he further 

realizes just what his reception will be and what 



352 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

the prospect has in mind. The game of selling has 
now been reduced from the stage where the cards 
have been merely dealt to the stage where the 
salesman has sized up his own and his opponent's 
hands through looking at his own cards and attend- 
ing to the bidding. Trumps have been decided 
upon and the general strategy of the hand has been 
established. Play now commences. 

To the novice card player the important part of 
the game is before him. But the expert knows 
pretty well where the important cards lie and just 
about how the play will go. Similarly, the novice 
salesman feels that very little is important in sell- 
ing except the actual interview. But the expert 
salesman knows that once he has carefully devel- 
oped his strategy, the most difficult part of his 
work is done. He realizes that he may make a 
slip in his selling, or the prospect may make an 
unexpected turn and thereby he will lose, but all 
in all the chances are in his favor. 

As in playing cards there are rules to the playing 
in addition to the bidding, so in selling insurance 
there are rules to the selling in addition to the 
preparation for that selling. Section E, on "The 
Tactics of Selling," is devoted to these details. 

For convenience, the Tactics of Selling will be 
discussed under the following lesson headings: 

i. Securing an Interview (Lesson XXV). 

2. Diverting Prospect's Interest to My Proposi- 
tion (Lesson XXVI). 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 353 

3. Reorganizing the Strategy (Lesson XXVII). 

4. Presenting the Proposition. 

a. Securing Conviction (Lesson XXVIII). 

b. Handling Objections (Lesson XXIX). 

c. Arousing Desire (Lesson XXX). 

5. Closing the Sale (Lesson XXXI). 



LESSON XXV. SECURING AN INTERVIEW— 
THE FIRST TACTICAL STEP 

INTERVIEW SECURED ON BASIS OF INTEREST FERSUS 
MYSTIFICATION 

As the first objective in selling is to divert the mind 
of the prospect from his regular work to that of your 
proposition, it is clear that the more thoroughly the 
interview is secured on the basis of interest, the greater 
the likelihood of ultimately holding that interest. And, 
conversely, the more the interview is secured on the 
basis of unnecessarily mystifying the prospect, the 
more unfavorable the reaction when the prospect has 
sized up the proposition and seen through the decep- 
tion practiced upon him. 

The majority of interviews are secured merely by 
asking to see the prospect, either at the door or over 
the telephone, and by introducing oneself. This was 
the case when Harrington interviewed Alderson (Les- 
son II) and when Collins interviewed Hudson (Lesson 
XVI.) 

Interviews are often secured on the basis of very- 
trivial reasons. The writer, while a student at Colum- 
bia University, discovered that he could easily reach 
most business men by merely announcing that he was 
a student at Columbia. Although many times this fact 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 355 

had nothing to do with the purpose of the interview, it 
was never resented and was almost always sufficient 
to obtain an audience. Reference to some friend of the 
prospect is also usually taken by prospects as sufficient 
cause for granting an interview without asking for 
further information. Thus, a salesman secured one 
interview after another with men in building con- 
tracting work by saying as he introduced himself, 
"I have been talking with Mr. Brown and Mr. 
Smith and Mr. Angell" (all contractors known at 
least by reputation to Mr. Prospect). "You, of 
course, know them. ,, 

Because there are some prospects to-day who are 
interested in insurance, salesmen are often able to 
secure interviews on the basis of a perfectly frank state- 
ment of their business. In a good many cases the type 
of selling that follows borders on that of "taking 
orders " rather than selling, since the prospect is already 
pretty well convinced of the advantages of life 
insurance. 

More usually such a frank statement results in a 
more or less emphatic reply that no insurance is wanted. 
After this the salesman comes back with some angle of 
his subject which the prospect has not considered, and 
after some discussion is frequently able to interest 
him. 

In this method of securing an interview the prospect 
is finally interested only after he has committed himself 
to the statement that he doesn't want insurance. The 
salesman has not mere indifference to overcome, but 
positive antagonism. This makes the sale unneces- 



356 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

sarily hard to accomplish, as none of us likes to reverse 
himself. 

It is then a much better method of securing an 
interview for the salesman to include in his intro- 
ductory sentence a remark which he calculates will 
interest the prospect. Bagley secured his interview 
with Barnes (Lesson I) by asking for an appointment 
over the phone and then by the introductory remark, 
"I believe you have a son." Collins secured his inter- 
view with Hudson (Lesson XVI) by saying, "I am first 
going to ask you a question which I hope you won't 

mind answering 'How much money can you save?" 

Neither Barnes nor Hudson could possibly escape, be- 
cause in both cases the salesman's remark was inter- 
esting and they had to find out something more before 
they could definitely decide whether the subject was 
worth continuing or not. 

If Barnes had had a secretary and she had insisted 
on Bagley revealing his business before announcing him 
to the dentist, he could have written, "An Educational 
Program" on a piece of paper for her to take to Barnes. 
Undoubtedly he would have obtained the interview. 
Under the same circumstances Alderson (Lesson II) 
might have been reached by Harrington's sending in 
word that he wished to discuss a trust fund with prin- 
cipal and interest guaranteed. 

In all the above cases the interview was secured upon 
the basis of the proposition itself, by a mere request 
for it, or by the use of some trivial excuse or explana- 
tion. But salesmen sometimes resort to measures far 
less straightforward. They present a reason for the 
desired interview which is actually false. A salesman 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 357 

called upon the writer one day posing as a college 
student desirous of talking over his course of study. In a 
few minutes he switched the conversation to insurance. 
It is needless to record his reception once the deceit 
became evident. In this case there was absolutely no 
need for such conduct. There are, however, times 
when a prospect cannot be reached in any way except 
through falsification of the salesman's real purpose. 
The chances of selling him on such a basis are small, 
but it can be done. 

It has already been pointed out that fundamental to 
selling is the necessity of arousing activity. This ac- 
tivity should be favorable to the sale. But if no favor- 
able activity can be aroused it is better to arouse an- 
tagonistic activity than to arouse none at all. For as 
long as there is no activity there can be no sale, whereas 
there is always a chance of redirecting antagonistic 
activity into useful channels. This is difficult to ac- 
complish in one interview, but can often be done in the 
course of more than one. It can hardly be done if the 
cause of the antagonistic activity is due to deceit, but 
if the salesman has fooled the prospect in a thorough- 
going manner so that the prospect cannot help but ad- 
mire the masterfulness of the stunt, it is not so difficult. 
The many bitter enemies that have become warm per- 
sonal friends attest the truth of this principle. Such 
men, though enemies, have each secretly and often for 
a long time unconsciously admired the other's ability, 
and when opportunity arose forgot their animosity 
and became all the better friends, because of the 
strength of the emotions which had been aroused. 

Most sales agencies do not countenance underhand 



358 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

tactics of any sort. They are entirely correct in their 
attitude. The chances are greatly against success. 
But a treatise on the theory of influencing others would 
be incomplete if it ignored the possibilities of securing 
favorable action through first of all arousing anger. It 
must be remembered, however, that the anger must 
not be accompanied by contempt for one's deceit, but 
by admiration for one's ability, if one is to turn this 
anger to account. 

INTERVIEW SECURED ON BASIS OF THE SALESMAN^ 
PERSONALITY 

After all, the principal basis for success in securing 
interviews lies in the behavior of the salesman himself. 
If the salesman approaches the prospect with a com- 
plete belief that his proposition is good and that he is 
truly rendering the prospect a service, he is not apt to 
be refused. But if the salesman is fearful or wonders 
whether he will be granted the desired favor, he invites 
a refusal. The two attitudes are instinctively reacted 
to by the prospect or his subordinates, according as they 
deserve. Bear in mind in this connection that the strat- 
egy of the prospect is to escape from all callers except 
those that probably will render him some advantage. 
The salesman who believes he has a worth-while propo- 
sition acts like those callers who have in the past 
rendered service and is accordingly reacted to favorably. 

This difference in attitude is most forcefully illus- 
trated in Knack of Selling. 1 
_"'Why, these big fellows are all hidden in private 

1 f{. Watson, op. cit. y Book iv, p. 21. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 359 

offices and I have to send in my card through a secre- 
tary, and she comes back and says Mr. So-and-so can't 
see me to-day. Or he comes out and gives me about 
half a minute from the other side of the rail. I don't 
call that Attention.' 

"'Neither do I,' I told him. 'To-morrow morning 
you come for me and I'll go out and see how we can get 
by those secretaries.' 

"The next morning we called on one of his 'big 
fellows in a private office.' 

"A clerk at the information desk asked, 'Whom do 
you wish to see?' 

"'I don't wish anything. I came to see Mr. 
Jennings,' I replied. 'Tell him I have arrived — the 
name is McClure.' 

"The girl, impelled by the assurance I put into my 
command, hesitated, then telephoned to Mr. Jennings 
that 'Mr. McClure had arrived.' Mr. Jennings came 
out. 

"With five minutes of your time and a few inches of 
space on your desk, Mr. Jennings, I'll show you defi- 
nitely how to make every day's work easier,' I said. 
'You'll gladly admit then that you have wanted to see 
me or— '" 

In addition to having the proper attitude toward your 
work and its value, it is essential that the salesman 
remember that anyone instinctively reacts toward 
another by assuming leadership or submission (Lesson 
X). If the prospect is naturally superior to you, is one 
to whom you would look up to as a leader in case of 
sudden emergency, then be extremely careful not to 
act toward him as though you considered yourself 



360 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

superior. If you do, your attitude will be instinctively 
reacted against — i.e., he will dislike you. For example, 
with some men you can immediately act in an easy- 
going way. But you will lose out if you so act in the 
presence of one who expects you to look up to him. 



HANDLING SUBORDINATES 

The following example illustrates the general prin- 
ciple of handling subordinates in securing an interview. 
They must be won in just the same way as the pros- 
pect. And they are just as human as he and just as 
fully possessed with instinctive desires and emotions. 

"A newspaper advertising solicitor — the Chicago 
representative of a Western paper — has found that 
most of his work requires penetrating a very thick wall 
of resistance before he gets in to his prospect. For he 
has to work largely at plugging for business which is 
running in other papers — and there are generally 
twenty or more other solicitors like him pursuing the 
same business. So the advertiser, having made up his 
list, is apt to tell his secretary to stall off all newspaper 
men. 

"This particular solicitor was taking his chance with 
all the others, until he actually charted his difficulties. 

"Then he had before him in black and white 
the problem of appealing to the secretary's personal 
interest. 

"He then naturally pictured in his mind the average 
secretary to an advertiser, receiving one by one all the 
different solicitors, with the fixed determination to get 
rid of them. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 361 

"And then the words 'personal interest' set in that 
picture made his problem easy. 

"Instead of being one of the string of solicitors asking 
to see the advertising manager, he would make the sec- 
retary his partner in getting to the manager. 

"And on the next call of that kind he made he passed 
the door of the manager's office as easy as water goes 
through a sieve. 

"He didn't go up to the secretary and ask to see the 
manager. 

"'Get her personally interested in my getting in/ 
was his watchword. 

"He walked up to her on tiptoe. Held up his right 
hand. 'S-sh!' he whispered. 'Another newspaper 
man/ And then he pretended to dodge an imaginary 
blow. The girl smiled broadly at his antics. 'How's 
the boss's humor this morning? What '11 you give me 
if I make him so good-natured he'll let you off half 
an hour earlier to-day?' She generally banters back on 
his ability to do this. 'Well, I'll back myself against 
you. You go in and tell him I'm coming in. If he asks 
you what I want, say I claim to be a newspaper man, 
but that I look more like the comic supplement; but 
tell him I'm coming — and believe me I'll come and I 
bet a box of candy I make good. Run — skip — skidoo 
— and say I'm coming — and I'll win my bet.' The 
salesman's whole idea is to have that girl feeling an 
interest in his getting in — and she usually does. And 
the word she takes in to the manager is nearly always 
so out of the usual — because her own experience has 
been so upset — that there are very few of such cases 
where the salesman doesn't get his audience. 



362 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

"Everything about such a scheme is peculiar to this 
man and his particular problem — except the fact that 
the method which suggested it, will suggest effective 
schemes to any man who uses this method right — who 
analyzes his problem. " 1 

Norval A. Hawkins's discussion of this subject cannot 
be improved upon. He says: "There is no need for 
being thwarted by subordinates. No matter how 
effective may be the fence of clerks and assistants, in 
keeping ordinary salesmen from the big man in the 
sanctum, the skilled salesman will not be barred out. 

"Subordinates, private secretaries especially, should 
be studied by the salesman who expects to call on many 
big buyers. He should plan how to deal with them. 
He needs to have worked out definite policies for han- 
dling clerks and office assistants. Too many salesmen 
ignore the importance of the subordinate. He is put 
into his position as an aid to the buyer. He is given a 
place of more or less trust, and realizes his responsi- 
bility. When he is treated as if he were beneath the 
notice of the salesman, he resents the attitude of the 
caller and is apt to become impudent or antagonistic 
in some other way. 

"The salesman should try to place himself in the 
places of the subordinates he meets, and seethe situation 
from their standpoints. He should plan to meet every 
clerk or underling with recognition of the authority 
and responsibility of that person. Fawning or obse- 
quiousness will make wrong impressions on a subordi- 
nate. But courteous friendliness and the bearing of 
equality will make right impressions. 

1 H. Watson, op. cit., Book v, pp. 31, 32, 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 363 

"The equality recognized is just man and woman 
equality — such as the law recognizes. It is not a social 
question, and the salesman need not adapt himself to 
the social status of the different subordinates he meets. 
He simply should treat them all with respect, and act 
as if he expected their respect in return as a matter of 
course. The salesman cannot assume a false attitude 
of respect for subordinates. He must feel it sincerely. 
He must have a real feeling of friendliness to them and 
to all mankind, as his equals. 

"An artificial smirk on the face of the salesman who 
is met by the clerk in the outer office of a buyer won't 
help to get that salesman inside the door of the pur- 
chasing agent. But a smile of genuine cordiality is 
almost sure to warm reciprocal courtesy. Stenogra- 
phers are pleased when they are shown deference as 
ladies. Clerks like to be treated as gentlemen. These 
subordinates have considerable influence. Often they 
are able to do a salesman a good turn if they feel so 
inclined. As frequently, they can hurt his chances. 
It is worth while every time to look at an underling 
with interest, instead of staring over his head. It pays 
to let him or her see into your eyes and learn that they 
are sunny eyes. 

"It is particularly important that the salesman be 
able to deal successfully with private secretaries. They 
have very real influence for good or ill. It is their 
business to protect their employers from intrusions 
and wastes of time. But the salesman who is convinced 
of his mission of real service will not think of himself 
as an intruder and a waster of time. Conscious of his 
right to seek an interview, he will be able to bear him- 



364 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

self in such a way as to impress on the secretary the 
idea that he has a right to see the big man. 

"Secretaries are instructed to learn the business of 
callers. That does not warrant them, however, in 
assuming the right to transact business in their em- 
ployer's stead. The secretary is careful not to exceed 
his authority, usually. When he asks questions of a 
salesman, the salesman should remember why the 
queries are put. They should not be resented. Such 
as are proper, which are asked to protect the big man 
from impositions, should be answered frankly and 
freely. It is a mistake to dodge, for that will excite 
the suspicion of the secretary. If a question is asked 
which relates to matters the salesman feels he should 
take up only directly with the buyer himself, the sales- 
man should say courteously that he wishes to speak 
with the big man himself on that matter. 

"A private secretary deals with many callers of the 
big-man size. He will respect any salesman who pre- 
sents himself with evidence that he is the caliber of the 
people the buyer is accustomed to seeing. The truly 
big salesman is not apt to be domineering or self- 
assertive. He has self-respect and shows it unobtru- 
sively. He treats the private secretary as his equal for 
the purpose of their contact in the outer office, but he 
avoids any suggestion that he is trying to curry favor. 
He acts merely as if he felt entitled to have the buyer 
himself pass on the question of his admission. Few 
private secretaries will risk refusing an audience to a 
man who seems entirely confident of his right to 
ask it. 

"The salesman must be prepared with courage when 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 365 

he enters the office of a prospect. His courage must be 
second nature, not just bolstered up for the occasion. 
He must feel free from any sense of apprehension. This 
prospect is a buyer. He could not exist if he did not 
buy what he needs. Some one will sell him the thing he 
requires. If the salesman is conscious that he will be 
able to perform a real service for this particular buyer, 
he will be courageous. That consciousness of courage 
is to be developed before the interview is sought. It is 
just the consciousness of the power that comes from 
being right. 

"Unless the salesman can create the impression of 
courage when he enters an office, he is apt to be 'turned 
down' by an office boy or a mere girl. But everybody 
in the world admires the truly brave man. The harsh- 
est, most cranky buyer will be impressed with courage 
in a salesman, and will treat it with respect. Naturally, 
buyers show contempt for salesmen who fawn upon 
them or are overobsequious. But in only the rarest 
cases is a salesman with true courage insulted. There- 
fore, courage should be acquired in advance. It should 
become natural to the salesman. He should make a 
practice of facing all difficulties of life bravely. He 
should train himself to be courageous." 1 

SUMMARY 

The basic principles underlying the securing of an in- 
terview are two: First, present some phase of your 
proposition which you know will interest the prospect. 
If you can't do this, then, second, prevent the prospect 

X N. A. Hawkins, The Selling Process, 191 8, pp. 169-173. 



366 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

from sizing up your proposition until after you have 
had time to arouse his interest in some phase of it. 

Handle subordinates on the same basis as the pros- 
pect. They are just as human as he, and they will work 
for you or against you, according to your treatment of 
them. 

In order to make these principles still clearer, read 
over the sales interview between Brown and Hartley 
and note how Brown secured the interview; and the 
effect upon Hartley of the methods used. 

SALES INTERVIEW BETWEEN BROWN AND HARTLEY l 

The prospect, James Hartley, is a manufacturer of 
rolled-gold jewelry with a small business. He is a 
young man of twenty-six, married, no family, has been 
in business three years, and is very successful. He is a 
man of some social importance, belonging to all the 
clubs in town; has an artistic temperament and is 
especially fond of flowers and good music. He is fas- 
tidious in his person and affects a rather bored and 
sarcastic manner toward strangers. He is keen, very 
logical, and also scrupulously fair in business dealings. 

Having discovered the above data about his pros- 
pect, the salesman decides that any morning, except 
Saturday, between 10.30 and 11.30 will be the best time 
for his purpose. At 10.30 on a Tuesday morning he 
goes to the factory and asks the girl at the information 5 
window which is Mr. Hartley's office. 

1 H. Whitehead, Principles of Salesmanship, 1918, pp. 241-249. A 
number of other sales interviews are given in this book, but not dealing 
with insurance. They are very well worth studying. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 367 

Girl: "His office is through here, but you can't go 
in unless you have an appointment. " 

Salesman: "No, T Ve no appointment, but I think 
he'll be glad I called. ,, 10 

Girl: "If you have a card I'll take it to Mr. 
Hartley." 

Salesman: "I never carry them, but if you'll just 
say that Mr. Harry Brown is here, it will be sufficient/' 

Girl: "Does he know your business? What do you 15 
want to see him about?" 

Salesman: "It's a personal matter — nothing to do 
with the business." 

Girl: "He's very busy, but I'll see what he says." 
(Goes to Hartley's private office and in a few minutes 20 
returns and says,) "Have you an appointment with 
Mr. Hartley?" 

Salesman: "No, I did not bother to make one, as I 
wished to see him only about ten minutes; as it was 
not in connection with his business I thought it better 25 
not to do so." 

Girl: "Well, Mr. Hartley is very busy, but if you'll 
tell me what you want to see him about I'll see if he will 
give you a few minutes of his time." 

Salesman: "I'll give you a message for him, then, if 30 
you think it best. Thank you for the suggestion." 
(Writes on a small sheet of plain paper: "Can you give 
me ten minutes now ? If not, when is the best time you 
can see me — here, I mean, not at the club. H. Brown.") 
"I'll appreciate it if you'll give him this. Don't bother 35 
to put it in an envelope." 

Girl: (Again disappears in Hartley's office. On her 
return she says,) "Mr. Hartley is very busy, but if it 



368 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

is important and you care to wait he'll see you as soon 
as he is at liberty. " 40 

Salesman: "Thank you for your trouble. I'll wait." 
(A minute's silence.) "What a remarkable success Mr. 
Hartley is making in his business! Have you been with 
him since he started ?" 

Girl: "No, I've been here only a year." 45 

Salesman: "That's quite a good time. . . . Has he a 
very important conference on? I don't want to hurry 
him if he has." 

Girl: "No. I don't think he'll be long. I know he 
has an appointment outside at eleven-thirty." (Silence 50 
for a few minutes when a buzzer sounds. The girl gets 
up.) "I expect Mr. Hartley is at liberty." (She goes 
to his office and returns.) "He will give you a few 
minutes now." 

Salesman : " Much obliged. How is he to-day ? Very 55 
rushed with work or is he taking things easy?" 

Girl: "About as usual." 

Salesman: (Enters Hartley's office. He places his 
hat on a chair near the door and walks toward Hartley's 
desk, at which he is writing.) "Good morning, Mr. 60 
Hartley." (He makes a slight motion as if to shake 
hands, but as Hartley continues writing he turns it into 
a motion of adjusting his necktie.) 

Hartley: "Good morning." (He continues writing, 
while salesman stands a short distance from the desk.) 65 
"Well? You wished to see me?" 

Salesman: "When you are at liberty, Mr. Hartley." 

Hartley: "Go ahead. I can hear you while I write." 

Salesman; "My talking would distract you some* 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 369 

what from your writing, or else your writing would keep 70 
your thoughts from me." 

Hartley: "I'll take a chance on that." 

Salesman: "Frankly, Mr. Hartley, I won't. My 
mission is either with all your time or none." 

Hartley: "Well, my friend, I did not ask you to call, 75 
did I?" 

Salesman: "No, Mr. Hartley, but you offered to see 
me and invited me in here to explain my mission." 

Hartley: (Continues writing in silence for a few sec- 
onds, then puts his fountain pen on the desk.) "Well, so 
I'm through. Possibly you'll consent to tell your story 
now — only please make it brief." (Looks at watch.) 
"I've an appointment soon." 

Salesman: "I'll keep right to business." (Walks to 
desk and stands by Hartley, who has to look up to him 85 
to see his face.) "Mr. Hartley, I'll keep within my ten 
minutes, but I want you to listen carefully to my sug- 
gestion until I'm through. 

"You have been very successful, and doubtless will 
be more so. You are a young man to carry such a 90 
prosperous business which your own individuality and 
hard work have created. Should anything happen to 
you, which probably will not of course, your business 
would quite possibly go to pieces. It has not been 
established long enough to be independent of you, and 95 
your manager may or may not understand your poli- 
cies sufficiently to take hold and run the business." 

Hartley: "Really, you seem to be quite interested in 
my business!" 

Salesman: "I am. I'm interested in any business 100 



370 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

that gives me a chance to help it and my company at 
the same time." 

Hartley: "And what, pray, is your company?" 
Salesman: "The Zenith Life Insurance Company." 
Hartley: (Looks salesman up and down.) "So, 105 
you're a life insurance agent, are you? Well, don't let 
me detain you. I'm not at all interested." (Reaches 
to push a bell button.) 

Salesman: "Wait, Mr. Hartley. You promised me 
ten minutes. I've not had half of it yet." 110 

Hartley: (Hesitates for a minute, then evidently his 
sense of fair play wins.) "All right, if you can waste a 
few minutes, I guess I can." (Half hides a simulated 
3'awn.) "Better sit down while you are about it." 

Salesman: "Thank you." (Draws chair near desk 115 
and sits.) "Mr. Hartley, you said I was a life insurance 
agent. I am and proud of it and of representing the 
Zenith. It isn't every salesman who has a chance to 
represent a $30,000,000 concern. Here is my proposi- 
tion. I suggest you take out two policies. A five-year 120 
term policy for $25,000, and the other a $25,000 twenty- 
year life policy. The ..." 

Hartley: "Can't you suggest one or two more?" 
Salesman: "I could, but I would not be considering 
your interests if I did." 125 

Hartley: "I see. You're a philanthropist!" 
Salesman: "I'm a business man. If I have a service 
that is valuable to you, you want to buy it. Your own 
salesmen sell goods that their customers will be able to 
sell. You know that you'd be out of business in six 130 
months if they didn't. I suggest policies to you that I 
believe will be most valuable to you for similar reasons." 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 371 

Hartley: "Well, tell me why." 

Salesman: "The term policy is the cheapest form of 
insurance; you pay merely for protection. This costs 135 

you only $ a year, quite a nominal sum. Yet, 

should you die within the five-year period, your estate 
gets #25,000 cash. This money would enable the busi- 
ness to tide over the slump your death would cause 
and until a new management or organization was 110 
formed. Very small sum to pay for such protection, 
isn't it?" (Hartley half nods in agreement.) "The 
other policy is both insurance and investment. In 
twenty years' time you have an investment of 325,000. 
After the third year the policy has a cash value which 145 
increases year by year. If ever you need money for 
expansion and to tide over depression, the investment 
can be borrowed on." 

Hartley: "That sounds all right, but if I want money 
my bank will loan it to me. As a matter of fact, I have 150 
ample funds for development." 

Salesman: "That's fine, but you know that a rapidly 
growing business like yours can quickly outstrip its re- 
sources. See how rapidly some of our gigantic enter- 
prises have grown and how frequently they have to 155 
reorganize on a larger scale to keep pace with their 
financial needs." 

Hartley: "If mine grows with such amazing rapidity 
I guess a life insurance policy won't meet its needs." 

Salesman: "No indeed, but it can help tide over, as 160 
it were. Another thing — in time of depression like we 
had in 1907 your business would almost cease. Who 
buys such luxuries, etc., then? The banks won't loan 
on future prospects under these conditions. Your name 



372 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

means too much to you to take chances with it. A man 165 
who is so well known as you are has to be doubly care- 
ful." (A street hand organ begins playing the latest 
ragtime craze.) "What an atrocity that is! There is 
so much fine music they could play — and then to choose 
that!" 170 

Hartley: "I agree with you there. That rubbish 
grates on my nerves." 

Salesman: "I don't wonder at it. Talking of music, 
have you heard that wonderful new contralto? . . ." 
(A discussion of music follows in which Hartley is un- 175 
disguisedly interested. Salesman finds it difficult to 
reintroduce insurance and finally does so by saying,) 
"Mr. Hartley, I've had my ten minutes. IVe plenty 
of time, of course, but I won J t take more than asked for 
without your permission. My suggestion in a nutshell iso 
is . . ." (States the amount of yearly premium, putting 
the figures on paper and passing them to Hartley. Here 
he briefly reviews it, emphasizing the need for protect- 
ing a young business.) "Is there any suggestion there 
that is not in your interest ? " iso 

Hartley: "No, but I wouldn't buy without thinking 
it over very carefully. That's only your suggestion, 
you know, and I think I know what's best for me." 

Salesman: "Who knows your goods best? Your 
salesmen or their customers ? Your salesmen, of course. 190 
And are they not best able to advise their customers on 
what to buy? That is my attitude in respect to insur- 
ance. I act as an insurance expert to many of your 
friends. Mr. Mark of the Provident Trust Company, 
Rogers of the Kiln Lumber Co." (Names a few others 195 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 373 

— prominent names and all members of some club and 
all known to Hartley.) "All are clients of mine. ,, 

Hartley: "So? Well, I'll be my own insurance ex- 
pert. Now, I'll bid you good day/' (Rises.) 

Salesman: "That's one thing you cannot possibly be. 200 
You can't buy insurance like butter or jewelry." 

Hartley : " Is that so ? Nevertheless, I'll decide when 
and what I want without expert advice." 

Salesman: (Gives Hartley no chance to dismiss him.) 
"I knew a man once who tried to be his own plumber 205 
when the pipes froze. After the stairs were flooded 
and a ceiling fell down he called for expert help. If 
you're sick, do you doctor yourself, or call in a physi- 
cian? Do you look after legal matters or do you leave 
them to your lawyers? Insurance is in the same cate- 210 
gory. Besides, as I said before, you cannot possibly be 
your own insurance agent." 

Hartley: "And why not?" 

Salesman: "Because you cannot say whether or not 
you're eligible. You may decide to take a certain kind 215 
of policy and then find no company can insure you 
because of your physical condition." 

Hartley: "Oh well, I can easily have my doctor 
examine me and ascertain that." 

Salesman: "No need to pay your doctor to do it — 220 
besides, even his examination would not be accepted by 
the company. The Zenith's own physical examiner 
must report favorably on you before the risk is ac- 
cepted, and you would be astonished at the number of 
supposedly healthy men who are declined." 225 

Hartley: "Perhaps you are right, but I'll not do 



374 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

anything about it now. You can call again after 
Christmas." 

Salesman: "And suppose you die in the meantime ?" 

Hartley: "I'll take my chances on that." 230 

Salesman: "It's your wife's chances you take, not 
your own. There are thousands of widows working 
hard to make a bare existence, who are living examples 
of 'he took a chance — my chance.' No, Mr. Hartley, 
if you need insurance you need it now more than later. 235 
However, perhaps I'm wasting your time. Perhaps 
you cannot pass the physical test. Before considering 
any kind of policy you had better let the doctor look 
you over and then, if his report is satisfactory, the 
advisability or otherwise of certain policies can be 240 
decided. Suppose I bring the doctor here to-morrow 
morning about this time and let him look you over?" 

Hartley: "But even if I did see the doctor, I would 
not promise to insure with you. I have some friends in 
the business and I should want to give them a chance." 245 

Salesman: "Unless they could give you something 
better than I can, you would let me be your insurance 
broker?" 

Hartley: "Yes, that is if I ever decide to insure at 
all." 250 

Salesman: "That's all anyone could expect, Mr. 
Hartley. Let's first find out if you are insurable, so 
how will ten-thirty to-morrow be to let the doctor find 
out?" 

Hartley: "Very well, but remember you do this on 255 
your own responsibility." 

Salesman: "That is quite understood. Now, I'll 
bid you good day." (Hartley offers him a cigar, 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 375 

they both "light up," shake hands, and the salesman 
leaves, having gained all he planned to secure at that 260 
interview.) 



ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON XXVI 

1. Write out the steps involved in Securing an In- 
terview with (a) Hudson (Lesson XVI), (b) Bur- 
ton (Lesson XXIII), and (c) Hartley (this lesson). 
Refer to Lessons I and II for models. 

2. Write out the answer to these two questions: 
a. Upon what basis in terms of the Strategy and 
Tactics of a Prospect did Brown secure an interview 
with Hartley? (Review Lessons XXIV and XXV.) 
To what extent was Hartley's reception a response to 
Brown's tactics in securing the interview? b. Why did 
Brown converse with the "Girl"? (lines 42-57). 



LESSON XXVI. DIVERTING PROSPECTS 

INTEREST TO MY PROPOSITION— THE 

SECOND TACTICAL STEP 

PREPARATION FOR MEETING THE PROSPECT 

Attention has already been called to the preparation 
made by a lawyer before entering court. He has care- 
fully gone over the points on his own side and also those 
on the opposing side. In this way he is prepared to 
advance his own side of the case and to dispose of his 
opponent's objections. 

The insurance salesman cannot afford to do less. 
The best students of selling in the insurance fraternity 
maintain that preparation is far more important than 
presentation. Of what should this preparation consist? 
This question has already been answered, but for the 
sake of making the steps perfectly clear, let us review 
it again. 

First of all, the salesman should have his strategy 
very definitely and clearly in mind: first, what his 
proposition is; second, just what convictions and im- 
pulses must be aroused within the mind of the prospect 
before he will buy; and, third, just what he himself 
must supply during the presentation in order that the 
prospect will come to have the necessary convictions 
and impulses. 

In addition to this general preparation, there is the 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 377 

special preparation for diverting the prospect's interest 
from his own work to your proposition. As will be made 
clear in the remainder of this lesson, what is wanted here 
is to call to the prospect's mind some point which you 
know is interesting to him. This must be done quickly 
and forcibly. 

If possible, the first point you make should be inti- 
mately related to the whole proposition you intend to 
present. But if that is impossible, select some point 
only remotely related to your proposition, but of inter- 
est to the prospect. In addition, prepare your transi- 
tion from this first point to the main proposition. And 
by all means walk into his office with an idea on the tip 
of your tongue which you know will challenge his interest 
and with the conviction back of it that you are going to 
render him a real service. 

Writers disagree as to how the salesman should pre- 
pare himself. Some maintain he should memorize his 
remarks as an actor does. If he does not, they say, he 
will be obliged to concentrate upon what he is saying 
and will not be able to study his prospect and determine 
the effect his remarks are making. In consequence, he 
will not anticipate objections and answer them before 
they are formulated, and he will not sense when to pro- 
ceed to the next step in his presentation. Other writers 
emphasize very strenuously that a memorized speech 
is a very great handicap — that one is very apt to 
get it off in a half-hearted fashion, and that one is 
generally unable to adapt oneself to emergencies, since 
one comes to feel more or less the necessity of continuing 
the memorized presentation. 

There is no one best method of preparing for the pres- 



378 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

entation. Some salesmen are able to memorize their 
part as an actor does and act perfectly naturally. For 
them this method is the best one. Other salesmen find 
it difficult to act naturally when reciting a memorized 
speech. In consequence, they organize their material 
in outline form and rely largely upon the inspiration of 
the moment. But most of these salesmen memorize 
phrases, sentences, and even paragraphs, in order that 
they may present certain key ideas in the most effective 
manner. 

The insurance solicitor should memorize carefully 
worded statements presenting all the reasons why 
insurance should be bought. These should, indeed, in- 
clude not only reasons, but incitements to action. This 
does not mean that all this ammunition will be utilized 
during any one interview. Only such portions will be 
presented as fit in with the established strategy of 
the particular sale or as may be used for reserve in 
case of emergencies. This insures a logical appear- 
ance to the presentation, and further makes certain 
that necessary details will not be overlooked when 
one's mind is primarily engaged in studying the 
prospect's responses. Between such a "selling-talk" 
on insurance with its definite plan and facility in using 
few or many talking points and a parrotlike recital 
of the advantages of insurance, there is all the differ- 
ence in the world. 

As the most difficult part of the presentation is not 
giving ideas, but incitements, the memorized state- 
ments should be especially prepared from that point of 
view. For example, in the paragraph on advantages of 
"income" over a lump payment, there may be woven 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 379 

into the argument many indirect references to the pros- 
pect's love for his wife and her need of help in investing 
her money. 

If there is any one paragraph that needs to be mem- 
orized and practiced so that it is said clearly and force- 
fully, it is the opening one. This is the most difficult 
paragraph to give for nearly all men. Once, however, 
one finds oneself speaking right along, one's embarrass- 
ment disappears and the rest of the interview should 
proceed as planned. 

A phase of preparing to meet a prospect, overlooked 
by many, concerns the appearance of the salesman 
himself. It is not sufficient that his words be carefully 
chosen and appropriate. The salesman must look the 
part. Study yourself and other men and learn how to 
make a good impression upon others. Remember, you 
have come to render the prospect a real service. Act 
accordingly. 

THE RACE BETWEEN SALESMAN AND PROSPECT 

The prospect endeavors (1) to size up the proposi- 
tion, (2) to utilize defensive habits, and (3) to dismiss 
the salesman as soon as the proposition is at all under- 
stood and seems uninteresting. 

To win the preliminary skirmish, the salesman must: 

(1) establish a friendly relationship (sell himself), and 

(2) arouse interest in his proposition before the pros- 
pect can size up the proposition. 

If the salesman loses the first skirmish — i.e., the 
prospect attempts to dismiss him before the necessary 
interest has been aroused — secondary attacks must be 



3 8o THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

made, the purpose of which is merely to gain an exten- 
sion of time. Once the "five minutes'' have been 
obtained, the whole purpose of the interview must be 
directed to arousing interest. 

Review how Harrington diverted Alderson's interest 
as a concrete example of the above points. First of all, 
Harrington established himself on a friendly basis with 
Alderson by talking about the Windsor chair. Next, 
he endeavored to get Alderson interested in his proposi- 
tion — "similar to a trust company's plan and yet 
different." He lost the first skirmish, for Alderson de- 
cided the matter was uninteresting before Harrington 
could make it so. He then had to pull off the coin 
stunt in order to secure more time in which to interest 
Alderson. This he finally accomplished, and then he 
was able to settle down to the real presentation. 

Collins secured Hudson's interest (Lesson XVI) by 
hinting at an investment. And because he had clearly 
in mind what he wanted Hudson to do and Hudson 
had no definite plan of action, he was able to maintain 
the lead and force Hudson to be "submissive" to his 
leadership. 

The sales interview with James Hartley in the pre- 
ceding lesson illustrates a case where the salesman was 
unable to establish the proposition on a sufficiently in- 
teresting basis to permit of a real presentation of the 
subject. But he was able to secure permission to have 
the doctor call for a physical examination. 

The main point, then, in diverting interest of a pros- 
pect from his own work to the new proposition, is to 
make the new proposition so interesting that he can't 
help but be absorbed in it. This means to play up 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 381 

what is interesting to the buyer, not what interests you. 
When you do this you talk about the service the propo- 
sition renders him, not about his buying (for his buying 
is your main interest, not his). 



NATURE OF ATTENTION AND INTEREST 

So far, in this text, the term "attention" has been* 
seldom used. The term "interest" has been employed 
in many places where most writers on selling would have 
used "attention." This has been done purposely. It 
is seldom that the salesman is concerned with the psy- 
chological process of attention. And in no case does he 
want "attention," but always "interest." 

The Nature of Attention. The word "attention" has 
reference simply to the fact that one is consciously 
noticing the situation to which he is reacting. For it 
is possible not to be attentive and yet respond. One 
will withdraw the arm when it is touched, although one 
is fast asleep. One will brush a fly from his neck while 
reading, and yet be unconscious of the movement. In 
these two cases there is no attention. While busy at 
one's desk the telephone may ring, the stenographer 
may answer it and then leave the room, a caller may 
come in, and one may not notice any of these events, 
because papers on one's desk are absorbing all one's 
faculties. Here is inattention to the phone, to the 
stenographer, to the caller, but attention to the report 
on the desk. 

By merely walking into a prospect's office the sales- 
man usually forces the prospect to notice him. Merely 
pronouncing the prospect's name summons his atten- 



382 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

tion. Such attention is easily obtained. There is no 
problem here at all for the salesman. He need not 
worry about getting attention. But he does need to 
worry as to whether he will obtain interest. 

The above is true of the great majority of cases. 
But, occasionally, a prospect will not even notice the 
salesman, or, after having listened for a few minutes, 
will cease to listen at all — cease even to pay attention. 
In such cases the salesman must present a situation 
that will force the prospect to pay attention. The 
proper kinds of situation to be used in such cases are 
those that arouse reflex action. (See Lesson VIII.) A 
loud noise, as, for example, when the minister pounds 
on the desk, collects wandering wits. Or a sudden 
raising of the pitch of the voice or sudden lowering of it 
compels attention. Suddenly to stop talking will serve 
the same purpose. In the same way, to show anything 
or to take away what has been shown attracts attention 
to the act. To present a folder or chart or sheet of 
paper of necessity compels the prospect's notice. For 
ages human beings have had to pay attention to move- 
ments and noises. Those that didn't were eaten by 
lions or killed by an enemy. But in such cases at- 
tention is not held — the prospect will almost immedi- 
ately size up the interruption and return to what he 
was doing. This will be true unless the salesman skill- 
fully ties up the interruption to a new line of thought 
which is interesting to the prospect. 

Remember the salesman must capitalize immediately 
this forced attention. When Burton started to turn 
away from Redding (line 56, Lesson XXIII), Redding 
showed him the contents of his book. Burton had to 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 383 

look at it. He couldn't escape. And as soon as he looked 
at it he saw his name and some typewritten material. 
Now he had to look further because his name was there. 
While Burton continued to look, Redding drove home 
the necessity of an income for his wife and motivated 
the reasons by references to his love for his wife. 

Manning's system of selling is effective just because 
it compels attention to the typewritten page containing 
the proposition. 1 And the proposition is involved 
enough to require a few moments of real thought before 
it can be sized up. During that interval the salesman 
should be able to arouse some feature of genuine 
interest which would hold attention. 

The use of printed matter which clearly appeals to a 
man's interest is useful in this way. It compels atten- 
tion and, to the extent it incites his interest, holds that 
attention. A fine device is to show a slip of paper with 
the heading, "Out of every 100 healthy men, twenty- 
five years old, this is what happens by age sixty-five." 
Then follows a circular diagram showing in black — 36 
dead; in red — 53 dependent on relations or charity; 
in light red — 6 self-supporting; and in white — 5 well 
off. Below is the final question, "Which class will you 
be in at age sixty-five?" 

Another device of the same sort is to utilize clip- 
pings from the "Situations Wanted — Female" ads. of 
your local paper, such as: "A middle-aged lady with 
son, 4 years old, wants position, housework. 785 Lin- 
coln Avenue"; "Young married woman with baby 
wishes permanent position at housework, 446 Myrtle 
St."; and, "Young widow desires position in office. 

1 E. G, Manning, The Manning System of Selling Life Insurance, 1919, 



384 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Inexperienced but willing to learn. Call Glendale 238, 
Apt. 9." These clippings can be posted upon a card 
with a heading, such as, "Tragedies of the Home which 
can be averted. How?" Underneath the diagram this 
question may be added, "Have you absolutely safe- 
guarded your wife from such possibilities in the future? " 

In the case of both these devices, the prospect is 
forced to pay attention because of the piece of paper 
with printing upon it. But his attention is held because 
the material on the page vitally affects his own career. 
To hold attention, as has been again and again pointed 
out, is identical with interesting the prospect. And that 
means to appeal to his instinctive or acquired interests. 

Now that we see what diverting interest is, we can 
practically eliminate from our list of troubles this 
hitherto monstrous bugaboo of selling. We don't need 
"to attract attention" and then "secure interest." All 
that we need to do is to present the most interesting 
phase of our proposition (interesting to the prospect, 
not ourselves) and bring his attention back when it 
wanders away, and we have in a few minutes his undi- 
vided interest. 

Of course, this is not the easiest thing in the world 
to do. If it were, salesmen would not be paid as they 
are. But it is done every day in the year by thousands 
of salesmen and with every class of prospects. In all 
these cases the salesman has presented an idea that 
was interesting to the prospect who has paid attention 
and eventually bought insurance. 

Attention fluctuates. When you sit down at your 
desk in the morning you find it difficult to get started. 
It takes a few minutes before you lose yourself in your 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 385 

work. During those few minutes you find yourself 
much more apt to notice the movements of the office 
boy or the ringing of the phone. This is simply an 
example of the well-recognized phenomenon that atten- 
tion fluctuates from one situation to another and that 
it takes a few minutes to concentrate on one thing to 
the exclusion of all else. 

Bear this mental law in mind in handling your pros- 
pect. No matter how interesting a proposition you 
make to him, be prepared for his mind to fluctuate 
back and forth from it to his regular work. Every 
object on his desk and in his office, as his eye falls on 
it, reminds him of his work. It is then most natural 
to expect that he will not immediately concentrate on 
what you are telling him. 

In consequence, it is as necessary to understand how 
to compel him to come back to you and to your proposi- 
tion when he wanders away as it is to understand how 
to hold his interest once you have it. 

One other point should be noted here. Because of this 
fluctuating tendency it is continually necessary to stir 
the prospect up at the beginning of your interview by 
quick transitions from one point to the next. It is only 
after he has completely given himself up to considering 
your proposition that you can expand your ideas in 
long, well-rounded paragraphs. 

The Nature of Interest. It is well-nigh impossible 
to define " interest. " The dictionary explains the 
noun thus: "1. Excitement of feeling, whether pleas- 
ant or painful, accompanying special attention to some 
object; concern. ,, "2. Participation in advantage, 
profit, and responsibility; share; portion; part." "3. 



386 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Advantage, personal or general; good, regarded as a self- 
ish benefit; profit, benefit." That does not help much. 

The best we can do is to say that those things inter- 
est us that fit in with what we have done, or are doing, 
or want to do; and that, in general, enable us to carry 
out our plans more thoroughly or easily than before. 

Consequently, nothing that the salesman can say or 
show can be interesting to the prospect except as the 
prospect takes over the idea and associates it with his 
other ideas and finds it satisfying. So long as the pros- 
pect merely listens he is not being really interested. 
It is when he commences to think about the proposition 
that he begins to be gripped with real interest. But 
he has not reached the stage of interest in buying your 
service. He is interested in it in relation to himself. 
He may decide against it, but he has actively concerned 
himself as to its merits as they affect what he desires 
to do. 

Consideration of the proposition in terms of the 
prospect's related interests or his instincts, if properly 
done, necessarily causes interest. He cannot help being 
interested if his business is referred to in the proper 
manner, or his family, or himself. He cannot escape. 
And if these topics are shown to be related to the sales- 
man's proposition, he must needs follow. This does 
not mean that he must buy, but only that he must 
remain interested. 

MINOR POINTS AS TO THE EARLY CONDUCT OF A SALES 
INTERVIEW 

Secure Undivided Attention. "A common practice 
among men at their desks is to say to the unknown 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 387 

salesman, 'Go ahead, I can listen to you while I work; 
I'm busy.' To such a statement the salesman should 
promptly reply, 'Thank you, I am perfectly willing to 
wait until you are at leisure,' and the action can be 
suited to the word by the salesman taking a seat. The 
salesman breaks into the presence of the business man 
and occupies his time because he is convinced that his 
offer is worth serious consideration and the time needed 
to explain its merits. Therefore, if he is willing to 
accept only a half-hearted form of attention he invol- 
untarily depreciates the worth of what he has to say. 
Instead of doing business on an equal footing he adopts 
an attitude of asking for a favor." l 

Whitehead has given the best one answer to this try- 
ing situation. But sometimes it doesn't work. After 
you have suggested that if he can't give you his whole 
attention you will call again that afternoon, and have 
received some unfavorable reply such as, "I shall not 
be here," it may be necessary openly to fight for his 
attention. Suppose Alderson had taken such an atti- 
tude when Harrington entered his office. Harrington 
might have then opened his 16-inch gun on him by say- 
ing, "Mr. Alderson, why should I invest my estate in 
the Continental Trust Company when they don't 
guarantee anything but honesty?" Make such an in- 
different prospect sit up and take notice by challenging 
some one of his strongest convictions. But do it in 
such a way that you can immediately shift to your 
main point. In this case, it would be, "Your trust 
company does not guarantee either the complete safety 
of my principal or any particular rate of interest." 

1 H. Whitehead, Principles of Salesmanship, 1918, pp. 117, 118. 
26 



388 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Objections must be disposed of as quickly as possible 
at the beginning of a sales interview. During the main 
part of the interview — the presentation of the proposi- 
tion — it is proper to handle objections in a thorough- 
going manner. But during the period when you are 
arousing interest an objection must be viewed as an 
attempt on the part of the prospect to get rid of you. 
The more time and attention given to the objections, 
the more likely the prospect will win, not you. Accede 
to the objections if it is possible to do so, point out 
some phase of the question which he probably has not 
considered, and get back to your main point within 
two sentences. 

Commit prospect to favorable action as far as possible. 
In other words, get him to say "Yes" to as many points 
as you can. If it is necessary to bring a chair up for you 
to sit in, get him to do it if you can. As host he should, 
and if he does he can't dismiss you quite so quickly. 

Selling involves arousing a prospect to activity and 
diverting that activity into the desired channel. Don't 
wait until you are ready for him to write his name on 
the dotted line before attempting to get action. Go 
for it from the very start. Count every admission, 
every " Yes," as a minor victory, for the more he agrees 
and comes with you the harder it is for him to stop 
and go back. 

ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON XXVII 

Review the sales interview between Brown and 
Hartley in Lesson XXV. Then write out the answers 
to the following questions: 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 389 

1. What better method could have been employed 
by Brown in securing the interview with Hart- 
ley — better in terms of the reception Hartley 
would have given Brown? 

2. How did Brown divert Hartley's interest from 
his work to Brown's proposition ? In what ways 
can his tactics be improved upon? 

3. What convictions and impulses do you judge 
Brown was attempting to establish in Hartley's 
mind? Wherein was his strategy inadequate? 

4. Point out an illustration of the "toboggan" 
method of convincing. Was it successful? 

5. How did Brown finally win? 



LESSON XXVII. REORGANIZING THE 
STRATEGY— THE THIRD TACTICAL STEP 

Before calling upon a prospect, the salesman plans 
his strategy. The steps in that process have been dis- 
cussed in Lessons XIX-XXIII. But after the salesman 
meets the prospect he may discover that certain changes 
in his strategy must be made. In consequence, it must 
be recognized that one of the essential steps in the 
tactics of selling is the reorganization of the strategy. 

That we may have clearly in mind the five steps in 
the tactics of selling, they are again listed : 
i. Securing an Interview. 

2. Diverting Prospect's Interest to my Proposition. 

3. Reorganizing the Strategy. 

4. Presenting the Proposition. 

a. Securing Conviction. 

b. Handling Objections. 

c. Arousing Desire. 

5. Closing the Sale. 

THE NEED FOR REORGANIZING ONE'S STRATEGY 

Before the call, the salesman has accumulated as 
much information as possible concerning the person- 
ality, interests, and needs of the prospect. Upon this 
he has based his strategy. Only to the extent that the 
information is correct and ample can his strategy be 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 391 

adequate. During the interview there is an opportunity 
to add to his knowledge and to check up what has been 
obtained. And there is the further opportunity to 
secure the information first hand. 

It makes no difference how painstaking the prelimi- 
nary inquiries have been, all aspects of the prospect's 
interests and behavior have not been ascertained and 
provided for. In consequence, the salesman must be 
prepared to alter his strategy as the need arises. For 
example, Mr. Salesman may have planned to base his 
incitements toward influencing Mr. Adams upon the 
latter's love for his wife, only to discover, after meeting 
Mr. Adams, that his wife died a week ago. Or he may 
have planned to sell Mr. Brown insurance in order to 
cover a mortgage on his farm, only to find that Brown 
has sold his farm and has bought an annuity with the 
proceeds. The whole plan must be changed instantly, 
else Mr. Salesman will have to retire discomfited. 

The more usual situation involves the necessity, not 
as in the above cases of a complete change of strategy, 
but of the reorganization of certain portions. For exam- 
ple, Mr. Berry's plan is to sell sufficient insurance in 
addition to what Mr. Center has (total unknown) to 
provide an income of #200 a month for Mrs. Center in 
the case of his death. During the discussion Mr. Center 
refers to his son as "my son" in such a way as to imply 
that Mrs. Center is his second wife and not the mother 
of his boy. In such a case, the proposition of providing 
separately for wife and son may be much more inter- 
esting. During the interview, then, the salesman must 
reorganize in his mind the specific proposition he is to 
make, and also he must utilize incitements as to the 



392 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

father's love for his boy, possibly in a most indirect and 
tactful manner, hinting at the fact that in case of his 
death his boy will really be an orphan. 

What are some of the factors involved in reorganiz- 
ing the strategy of selling ? 

The salesman must observe as many details as pos- 
sible concerning the articles in the prospect's office, his 
appearance and manner, his relationship with his 
employees, and his responses to the solicitation. 

UTILIZATION OF OBJECTS IN PROSPECTUS OFFICE 

While waiting for the prospect to look up, or during 
the interview, the salesman should carefully note the 
various objects in the office. Harrington in Lesson II 
made good use of the comb-back Windsor chair that 
he discovered in Alderson's office: also of the picture 
of Roosevelt on the wall and of the photo of Alder son's 
son on his desk. In a similar way, years ago, the writer 
was diverted from dismissing a salesman by the latter 's 
reference^to James's Psychology lying on the desk. 

Nearly every man has one or more objects on his 
desk or the near-by wall indicative of his interests. 
These should be noted because reference to them in 
the proper way will practically always divert the in- 
terest of the prospect from what he is doing. This fact 
is well recognized by some professional buyers who re- 
ceive salesmen in a small room with absolutely nothing 
in it but a small table and two chairs. 

Upon calling recently on a city superintendent of edu- 
cation, I noticed a small bookcase almost entirely filled 
with books on vocational guidance. That was sufficient 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 393 

to indicate his chief educational interest. If he at* 
tempted to dismiss me before I had presented my 
proposition, I knew I could switch the conversation to 
his educational hobby, regain his interest, and then 
return to my proposition. A few days later I saw a 
large loving cup in the office of an official of the steel 
corporation. Reference to it delayed my departure ten 
to fifteen minutes because I just had to listen to how 
he won it in golf. Upon my own desk, as a paper weight, 
there is an automatic sprinkler head reminiscent of my 
work in San Francisco after the fire. Fortunately for 
me, practically no one knows what it is, but I'll wager 
that once it was properly referred to I could not leave 
the subject under three minutes. 

Not only can such objects be utilized in bringing the 
prospect back from his work, but they reveal an inter- 
est which can often be utilized in inciting him to action. 
Upon seeing a score of insurance policies covering ship- 
ments of sugar upon the desk, one can build on the idea 
of insuring everything to-day, including "life," with a 
fair certainty that the prospect will follow in a way 
that the ordinary man would not. A photo of the Alps 
on the near-by wall will afford a good basis for explain- 
ing the advantages of providing an income for the wife, 
just as regular monthly deposits for her are provided 
when one is traveling. 

Such utilization of objects in a prospect's office is 
frequently very helpful. But many times the prospect 
sees through what the salesman is doing and resents 
the "waste " of time in getting down to business. Prob- 
ably the safest rule to follow is that when one can really 
talk intelligently and with enthusiasm about a hobby 



394 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

he can utilize it in the way described here. Otherwise, 
one should be chary about using the hobby as an open- 
ing wedge. 

SIZING UP THE PROSPECT 

This topic has already been considered in Lesson 
XIX. Review the material there at this point. 

Whenever the writer faces this problem of quickly 
sizing up men, he recalls two men he met during his 
army experience. The first one was short and rather 
stout, with scarcely a hair on his head, although he 
was not thirty. His feet and hands were enormous, 
his ears stuck out at right angles, his nose was very 
prominent, and his chin correspondingly weak. On 
coming in he nearly fell over the rough doorsill in the 
barracks and upset a chair before he finally was seated. 
The second man, of about the same age, was over six 
feet, of fine athletic build, and of handsome appearance 
— the kind of man one loves to meet. I believe all men 
would look upon the former as a veritable simpleton 
and the latter as very intelligent. Yet the former 
obtained almost a perfect score in the army intelligence 
test and the latter was below the average of enlisted 
men. Attention to appearances would result in failure 
to handle both of these men. The former was interested 
in almost any profound subject, whereas the latter 
could not understand any but the simplest. 

If a salesman wishing to sell to each of them could 
discover beforehand what each was interested in, he 
could be successful without paying any attention to 
their appearance. For he could count on motivating 
his sale in terms of their instinctive interests plus their 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 395 

acquired interests. The uncouth fellow had many of 
the latter; the fine-looking gentleman had scarcely any 
except those connected with his own prestige and girls. 
For the purpose of selling, size up the prospect in 
terms of his interests and utilize them in selling. 
Never mind the outward appearance of the body that 
houses these interests. 

RELATIONSHIP OF THE SALESMAN TO THE PROSPECT AND 
TO HIS EMPLOYEES 

In some cases a prospect will attempt to frighten a 
salesman by simulating a cross tone of voice. But it 
is extremely difficult to continue using a tone not in 
harmony with one's real attitude, and sooner or later 
the assumed tone will change to the natural one. 

Sometimes the real character of the prospect can be 
determined from the attitude assumed toward him by 
his subordinates. Some one has recorded in this con- 
nection the case of a buyer who appeared most gruff in 
his manner to the strange salesman. But the office boy 
on entering the room showed no sign of trepidation. 
The salesman, taking his cue from the office boy, went 
ahead as though he had received a friendly greeting 
and obtained the order for which he had come. 

DETERMINATION OF WHAT IS IN THE PROSPECT'S MIND 

It is absolutely essential to have a fairly good check 
on what the prospect is thinking about, otherwise we 
can have no idea of whether we are on the right track 
or not. This knowledge can be obtained only by ob- 
serving the responses the prospect makes to our solid- 



396 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

tations, and then interpreting what they mean. The 
mind of the prospect cannot be seen, nor can it com- 
municate what it contains directly to another. The 
only way its contents can be known is through the 
movement of muscles — either in speech or writing or in 
gestures. 

There is no science of mind reading to-day. But 
anyone who cares enough can train himself to under- 
stand others pretty well. You understand your father 
or mother or wife or chum so that you don't have to do 
much talking. You know from their general manner 
what their attitude is. In the same way, through prac- 
tice one can acquire similar skill with many persons. 

Occasionally you meet a man who keeps a straight 
face and won't talk. Such seem the hardest of all to 
handle. But careful attention to other parts of their 
body than their faces, particularly to their hands, will 
often reveal whether they are agreeing with you or not. 
Usually active interest is shown by the hands being 
held still, indifference is characterized by idle move- 
ments, while opposition is shown by rapid, jerky 
movements. 

SUMMARY 

Facility in reorganizing one's solicitations depends 
upon two things: previous preparation, and observa- 
tion of the prospect and his surroundings. If one has 
only one proposition in mind, one cannot switch from 
it and make up another on the spur of the minute. It 
is essential that in addition to one's carefully planned 
strategy there be alternative plans in mind which can 
be utilized immediately if the need arises. And one 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 397 

must be able to tell when to make the change. This, as 
has been pointed out above, calls for careful study of the 
meaning back of every response made by the prospect. 



ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON XXVIII 

Suppose the following conversation took place in the 
Brown-Hartley sales interview (Lesson XXV), com- 
mencing at line 116. (Lines 111-115 repeated.) 

Hartley: (Hesitates for a minute, then evidently his 
sense of fair play wins.) "All right, if you can waste 
a few minutes, I guess I can." (Half hides a simulated 
yawn.) "Better sit down while you are about it." 

Salesman: "Thank you." (Draws chair near desk 
and sits. Hartley's younger sister enters.) 

Sister: "Oh, I think she's just too sweet for any- 
thing! The poor little thing! Oh, pardon me, I didn't 
see you were busy." 

Hartley: "Excuse me a moment." (Rises and walks 
over to a distant window with his sister.) 

Sister: (While walking toward window.) "I think 
it's lovely of you and Helen to adopt her." 

Hartley: "Yes, I think that's the best thing to do. 
Helen's sister, Mary, might have taken her, but she's 
got a houseful of kids already." 

(The rest of the conversation is not overheard by 
Brown. After about five minutes, the sister leaves the 
office and Hartley returns to his desk.) 

What should be Brown's strategy now? That is, (1) 
what proposition should be made Hartley? (2) What 
convictions and impulses will Hartley need in order to 



398 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

buy? (3) What appeals will Brown have to present to 
Hartley? 

Write out the sales interview as you think it should 
proceed until Brown has outlined his proposition to 
Hartley and has commenced to enlarge upon the details 
of the proposition. Do not forget that Brown must pro- 
vide for a transition from Hartley's conversation with 
his sister to Brown's proposition. 



LESSON XXVIII. SECURING CONVICTION- 
ONE PHASE OF THE FOURTH 
TACTICAL STEP 

Our strategy of selling involves convincing the pros- 
pect through the use of ideas and arousing impulses 
through incitements. As outlined in Lesson XXVII, 
this is largely accomplished in the fourth tactical step — 
Presenting the Proposition. This involves: 

i. Securing Conviction (discussed in this lesson). 

2. Handling Objections (Lesson XXIX). 

3. Arousing Desire (Lesson XXX). 

Because these three phases of the fourth tactical step 
must needs be considered in separate lessons, do not 
thereby conclude that ideas should be presented first, 
objections answered second, and incitements introduced 
last. Ideas and incitements must be interwoven, while 
objections must be handled whenever they appear. 

THE PART REASONING PLAYS IN SELLING A MAN 

Long before Plato and Aristotle, the Greeks had de- 
cided that the mind was good and the body (emotions) 
evil. That view still grips the people of this country. 
We see it reflected in blue laws as to what can and can- 
not be done on Sunday and in many other ways. Many 
believe that anything that gives pleasure, even innocent 
pleasure, is per se wrong. An outcome of this same 



4 oo THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

philosophical point of view is the common persuasion 
(really a self-delusion) that man never does anything 
except on the basis of reason. Our textbooks on eco- 
nomics have developed many of their theories on this 
assumption. And only most recently has any econo- 
mist challenged the view. 1 

This book has endeavored to show that man is in- 
fluenced very much more by instincts than reasons. 
The real basis of our life — the fountainhead of our 
desires and aspirations, our pleasures and woes — is 
found in our instincts. 

But because of the prevalent view of the everyday 
man that he reasons out what he is going to do, we must 
take this into account in selling. We must always as- 
sume in our whole attitude toward him that we present 
only reasons as to why he should buy, and we expect 
that he will buy because he has been intellectually con- 
vinced. This is absolutely essential, for if he thought 
we were appealing to his emotions he would become 
very indignant and the sale would in all probability be 
lost. 

It is further necessary that reasons be supplied the 
prospect in order that he may be able to justify his 
action to himself as he thinks the matter over later 
on and also as he talks it over with his wife and friends. 
Many a sale has been lost because the husband has 
been "outargued" by his wife. Ammunition must be 
supplied to the prospect for such engagements. 

Thus, it is essential that the prospect be appealed to 
through reasons. Just the same, we know that the 
real cause of his final action depends upon his instinc- 

1 For example, see C. H, Parker, The Casual Laborer and Other Essays, 1920. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 401 

tive desires. If he is led to want to buy, he will do so 
regardless of the reasons advanced, so long as he does 
not realize that he has been sold through appeal to his 
emotions. 



INTEREST IS PRELIMINARY TO CONVICTION 

No one will continue for long attending to anything 
that is uninteresting. And in selling, this is particu- 
larly true. Only to the extent that your proposition is 
interesting, or you are yourself, will the prospect per- 
mit you to take up his time. 

Refer to Lesson XXVI for further elaboration on 
this point. 

HOW TO SECURE CONVICTION 

Conviction depends upon (1) the presentation of 
necessary ideas, (2) the establishment of their value, 
and (3) the final elimination of all counter ideas. 

For example, let us suppose that in 191 7 I was an 
independent voter and particularly interested in pro- 
hibition. A friend approached me and said, "I would 
like to have you vote for Robertson, Democratic candi- 
date for the state legislature." He thought I was a 
Republican and started out to get me to scratch the 
ticket in this one instance. Shortly, I saw the drift 
of his talk and said, "I don't care whether Robertson 
is a Republican or a Democrat. But how does he stand 
on the liquor question?'' He then went on to tell how 
he had known Robertson for years, that he had always 
been a total abstainer, was a member of such-and- 
such church, and had always been opposed to the 



402 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

saloon traffic. And he ended up with saying that the 
Republican candidate had a brother who was a director 
of a brewing company. So I agreed to support 
Robertson. 

The first idea presented by my friend (to scratch the 
Republican ticket) was unnecessary, because I was not 
a Republican. But the second idea (Robertson was a 
prohibitionist) was essential. That h ad to be established 
before I would be convinced he was the man to vote 
for. And it was established through telling me that 
Robertson had always been a total abstainer (I already 
believed total abstainers support dry measures), that 
he was a sincere church member (I already believed 
such were supporters of dry measures), and that Rob- 
ertson had always supported the prohibition cause (I 
already believed my friend told the truth). That set- 
tled one side of the proposition. But how about his 
opponent — did he support the dry proposition? The 
statement that his brother was financially interested 
in beer convinced me he was not the man I wanted, 
because I believed that a man would not injure his 
brother's financial interests. I was convinced through 
the presentation of a necessary idea which had been 
established as sound because of its close connection to 
ideas already accepted as true and through the elimi- 
nation of the only competing idea by showing that it 
ran counter to an already established belief. 

i. Presentation of Necessary Ideas. What the 
necessary convictions are should be determined before 
calling upon the prospect (the third step of the strategy 
of selling). These convictions will include (a) a general 
notion of insurance (possessed by most men to-day), 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 403 

(b) detailed notions of the particular policy, (c) con- 
crete pictures of the service it will render, and (d) defi- 
nite ideas of just what must be done to secure these 
services — i.e., be examined, pay so much a year, etc. 
"What do I get out of it?" and "What have I got to 
do?" are ever-present questions in the mind of the 
prospect. Then, too, he hardly can become enthusias- 
tic until he sees himself (in his imagination) enjoying 
the service — i.e., picturing the delight his wife will 
show in knowing herself and children will be taken care 
of if something happens to him. 

In addition to this, the average buyer will want de- 
tailed information on some other point. Through 
having at least one point gone into in detail and clearly 
explained, he becomes convinced that he has intellec- 
tually examined the proposition and found it sound. 
For example, one prospect will want to know why 
there are premiums; another why one policy costs 
more than another. A logical presentation of the an- 
swer to such questions aids very decidedly in leading 
the prospect to feel that the whole sale has been con- 
ducted on the same basis, and, furthermore, he is quite 
likely to use this information in discussing his action 
with his friends. 

2. Establishment of these Necessary Ideas. Ideas 
are accepted as true or not, depending upon how they 
fit into the already established beliefs of the prospect, 
as described above. Because this is so, we have still 
another cause for starting out with a prospect's inter- 
ests. For then we are linking what we say about in- 
surance to ideas already accepted as true and worth 
while. Alderson (Lesson II) was convinced of the 



4 o4 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

value of Harrington's proposition because he saw it 
did what a trust company does and in addition it in- 
cluded features that no trust company could present. 
The same argument presented to a man ignorant of 
trust companies would be futile because the new ideas 
could not be linked to old ideas and so accepted as 
true. (Bear in mind all the points made in Lesson 
XV as to securing interest. They all apply with equal 
force to securing conviction. We never accept a new 
idea until it has been securely attached to old ideas in 
which we believe.) 

In a similar way, bear in mind the points made in 
Lesson XVI on habits. If the new idea can be led out 
of already established experiences ("toboggan" method 
of convincing), or can be so presented that the prospect 
classifies it in a class to which he responds favorably 
("forcing favorable classification" method), it will be 
reacted to as desired. Both these methods are based 
upon the same psychological principle — namely, to es- 
tablish the new idea in the mind of the prospect in terms 
of already accepted ideas. The two methods differ 
only in the order of presentation. In the case of the 
"toboggan" method, the reasons are given first, and 
when agreed to the proposition is then revealed; in the 
case of the "forcing favorable classification" method, 
the proposition is stated at the start and then the rea- 
sons as to its value are added. 

The example, already used several times, of leading 
a prospect first to think about the check he gives his 
wife every month and finally to think about a check 
that will come just as regularly after he is gone, is a 
fine illustration of the "toboggan" method. If the 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 405 

order of presentation is reversed and the income feature 
is first discussed and later likened to what the prospect 
is now doing, we have an example of the second method 
of forcing favorable classification. In either case, when 
the argument is accepted, the salesman has led the pros- 
pect from the known to the unknown, and has led him to 
classify the unknown as a worth-while thing to do 
because the prospect can fit it in to what he has done 
many times. 

To make this point perfectly clear, let us go over it 
again. 

An idea is established as true or false, depending on 
whether it is linked to already accepted ideas or is 
found to run counter to such ideas. In order to lead the 
prospect to accept the new idea, the salesman must 
start with ideas that have grown out of what the pros- 
pect has himself seen, heard, felt, believed, or done. 
These are thoughts, feelings, and happenings which 
are to him real. And the salesman must lead from these 
accepted real experiences of his to the new idea, by 
showing that the new is really the same thing as the old. 
The prospect, accordingly, comes to feel that the propo- 
sition is worth while because it has been proved to be so 
by his own life experiences. 1 

The trouble with most sales arguments is that we are 
too eager to tell all that we know about our proposition; 
we throw at the head of the prospect five or ten reasons 
why our proposition is the most wonderful yet. This 
has about the same effect that five or ten salesmen of 
the same firm would have if they all talked at the same 
time to the same customer. The successful sales talk 

1 A good reference on this point is A, E. Phillips, Effective Speaking, 191 1. 



4 o6 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

is one that makes a definite impression, that excludes 
everything else, and that builds this impression on 
well-known experienced facts in the life of the prospect. 
Suppose I am calling on Mr. Hardy, a young business 
man with an income of about $5,000. I have figured 
he should take out an endowment policy maturing at 
sixty-five which will provide an income to his wife of $100 
a month for twenty years. Now if I go in and talk 
#18,000 of insurance I'll probably "knock him clean 
over." This is true although Hardy may be han- 
dling funds of that amount and talking about billion- 
dollar congresses. But instead of making such an 
approach, I say to him, after opening up the subject, 
"What is the least your wife could live on if every- 
thing went wrong ? " I lead him to think of the amount 
of income he should provide, and he decides the amount 
from his own experience. Suppose that the amount is 
established at $1,200 a year. I may then ask, "What 
proportion of your $5,000 should you save each year 
for emergencies and old age?" Possibly he'll admit 
something like 15 per cent, or $750. But he may go 
farther and add that, though he realizes he should save, 
he never has been able to manage it. I then have the 
opportunity of showing him that he can secure an 
income of $1,200 a year for 10 per cent of his income, 
not 15 per cent. He can't deny the need for $1,200 
a year for his wife, for he himself established the 
figure, and the 10 per cent is away below what he 
has admitted he should save. After all this is estab- 
lished, I can talk about his having an estate of $18,000 
for about $500 a year — an estate which gives his wife 
$100 a month for twenty years if he dies, or provides 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 407 

the same income for himself and his wife if he lives 
to age 65. 

It is not the ideas, themselves, so much that count, 
but the way in which they have been led out of the 
prospect's own experience. 

3. Elimination of Counter Ideas (Objections and 
Excuses). If the total situation which has been pre- 
sented to the prospect contains ten items, and eight 
items lead to the response of taking the policy and the 
remaining two do not, it is necessary to eliminate the 
effect of these two counter items in some way or other. 
For their presence leads to an undesired response, and 
the presence of two competing responses causes fluc- 
tuation and indecision. There are three ways of ac- 
complishing this : first, discover what the troublesome 
items are and redirect their effect through linking them 
up with established convictions; second, add still more 
reasons, so that the total situation contains fifteen 
items, then review the thirteen desirable ones and 
ignore the other two, and the prospect may thus lose 
track of them; third, powerfully motivate the desired 
response, play up the eight desirable items, and mini- 
mize the two undesirable ones. 

The first method is the best one, for the undesirable 
elements are transformed into actual aids. But this is 
not always possible. For example, your policy may 
cost more than a practically identical policy of a com- 
peting company and your stock arguments have not 
convinced the prospect. Or again, your prospect is 
simply lukewarm to your main point despite all you say. 
For example, in the illustration given above, it may be 
that Mr. Hardy has just had a rumpus with his wife 



4 o8 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

because of her carelessness in keeping her accounts and 
because she has again overdrawn her account. He will 
give no hint of this fact. But due to it he will rebel 
against the income idea because the two are now linked 
together in his mind. If you could get at the interfer- 
ing idea, you could dispose of it by showing that to 
provide a monthly income to such a wife is far better 
than to leave her a lump sum or not to leave her any- 
thing. But as already said, this is just wh at you can 't do. 

The second method is the poorest of the three. It 
is extremely difficult to know when you have driven 
an interfering idea out of mind and you don't know at 
what moment it may come back. It may flash into 
mind just as the prospect starts to sign, and then you 
have the task of driving it out to do all over again. And 
it is quite likely to come back after you are gone, leading 
to a cancellation of the policy in some cases, or a resent- 
ful feeling toward you personally. Nevertheless, this 
is the only method of disposing of certain objections. 
In the case of Hardy, it would work all right, for his is 
a temporarily held objection and may fade out entirely 
by night when he gets home and enjoys the good sup- 
per his wife has awaiting him. 

The third method is much better than the second. 
Here you emphasize the accepted points as strongly as 
you know how, inciting the prospect at the same time 
to action, and you refer to the interfering ideas in a 
casual manner, as though they hardly counted, any- 
way. For example, you may say, "Mr. Hardy, we have 
eight good reasons why you should take the policy and 
two reasons why you think you shouldn't take the 
policy. Let us grant that they are valid objections. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 409 

How many times in your business career have you been 
able to get ten reasons why you should expand your 
business and not a single reason against expansion? 
When you rented your present home you didn't find it 
perfect. You took it in preference to other places be- 
cause it possessed more good points than the others. 
As a reasoning being you realize that if you can get a 
good majority of reasons on one side of the case you 
are sufficiently well safeguarded." Then go on, and 
while summarizing your eight points again, bring in 
all your incitements, and the chances are he will sign. 

Such a procedure, of course, will not work if the 
prospect values one or both of the interfering ideas 
quite highly. In such a case the first method alone will 
work — you must convert them from debits into credits. 

SUMMARY 

All that has been brought out in this lesson and nearly 
all of what has been developed in the entire course can 
be illustrated in terms of the first part of the Bagley- 
Barnes sales interview (Lesson I). 

Bagley has decided to sell Barnes an "educational 
policy" assuring Barnes's son a college education. How 
shall he present this new idea to Barnes? According to 
what has been brought out in this course, he will lead 
Barnes step by step to the new idea, beginning with 
Barnes's own most interesting ideas. And when Bag- 
ley reaches the new idea he will have Barnes's interest 
because they have discussed Barnes's own interests; 
and as they progress he will obtain Barnes's conviction 
of the value of the proposition because it affords op- 
portunity for Barnes to carry out his own desires. 



4 io THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

In outline form the presentation developed as follows; 



Situation 

1. "I believe you have a 
son?" 

2. " Of course, he's not old 
enough to go to college 
yet, is he?" 



"That's fine. It must 
be a source of much 
pleasure to you to find 
your little son already 
interested in college and 
thinking definitely of 
going to college. I came 
to speak to you about 
your son. May I sit 
down a moment ? " 
(Further develops nec- 
essary ideas, incites 
Barnes in terms of his 
love for his son, uti- 
lizes already aroused 
interest to secure fur- 
ther permission to pre- 
sent his proposition.) 
"From what you have 
just said, I don't need 
to ask you if you 



Response 

a. "Yes" (starts Barnes 
thinking about his son 
— parental instinct). 

b. Barnes discusses "son," 
"college," "son going 
to college," "son very 
much interested in 
Wesleyan." 

c. Barnes thinks further 
about his son. 



Barnes led to think 
further of: 
(i) son; 



SELLING LIFE 

Situation 

believe in a college 
education," etc. (lines 
33-50). 



5. "I am with the Hearth- 
stone L i f e Insurance 
Company and am glad 
to see from our records 
that you are insured in 
our company/' 

6. "You haven't yet 
made any insurance 
provision for your son's 
college education, 
have you?" 

(Now starts to combine 
Barnes's ideas of "son" 
and "college" with "in- 
surance." 

7. "I mean you haven't 
taken out an education- 
al policy for your boy." 



INSURANCE 411 

Response 

(2) son going to col- 
lege; 

(3) son would bene- 
fit greatly by 
going to college; 

(4) son better able 
to earn a living; 

(5) son will take a 
higher rank in 
community. 

e. Establishes idea of in- 
surance; also Bagiey's 
company. 



f. "I don't understand 
just what you mean" 
(Barnes unable to com- 
bine ideas of "son 
going to college" and 
"insurance" together). 



g. "No. I never heard of 
an educational policy" 
(Barnes can't react to 
the new combination of 
ideas), 



4 i2 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Situation Response 

8. "This is the idea," etc. h. Barnes listens, and as 

(Bagley introduces he does so his own ideas 

ideas of "Barnes dying develop to include the 

before boy finishes col- new idea of insuring his 

lege" and "educational son going to college, an 

policy insures the boy idea hitherto unthought 

getting a college educa- of. 
tion.") 

Here is the ideal way to present a proposition. One 
idea after another is given to Barnes. Because he is 
interested, these ideas grow and develop within his 
mind, details being added from out of his own experi- 
ences. They are well motivated through touch-and-go 
references to Barnes's love for his son, and his great 
interest in his Alma Mater. Conviction is secured 
through the establishment of the new idea (insurance 
for his boy's education) in terms of Barnes's old ideas. 

ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON XXIX 

Mr. Harry Lamont, proprietor of a hotel of ioo rooms 
in a small town of 15,000 population, has been sold a 
total of $10,000 of insurance by Mr. Henry Patterson. 
Lamont is good natured and has taken out one or two 
thousand a year because of Patterson's persistent solici- 
tations. Lamont now figures he has enough insurance 
and combats every argument of Patterson by the re- 
mark, "No, I've got enough. Ten thousand dollars 
will take care of my wife in good shape." Patterson 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 413 

figures Lamont is spending about $5,000 a year on him- 
self and wife, although he probably does not realize this, 
as he maintains practically no bookkeeping system. 
Patterson believes Lamont should take out another 
$10,000 in the form of an income policy to protect his 
wife now and both of them in old age. The Lamonts 
have no children. They live at the hotel and go out a 
great deal in the society of the town and also of the 
near-by large city. Mrs. Lamont is a second wife and 
is twenty-three years old (Lamont is about forty). An 
only son by the first marriage is assistant to his father 
in the hotel. 

1. What convictions must Lamont be possessed of 
in order to take out more insurance? 

2. Prepare a line of reasoning by which Lamont 
would be convinced he has not now enough insurance. 
Bear in mind the points made in this lesson. 



LESSON XXIX. HANDLING OBJECTIONS—A 

SECOND PHASE OF THE FOURTH 

TACTICAL STEP 

During practically every sales interview the prospect 
will express one or more objections to what the sales- 
man has said. In addition the prospect may silently 
think over additional objections which he may not 
express at all. The proper handling of these spoken 
and unspoken objections is a very important phase of 
the tactics of selling. 

In order that objections may be properly handled it 
is extremely important that they be understood and 
that they be answered not necessarily in terms of the 
objection itself, but in terms of the cause that led to its 
coming into the mind of the prospect. 

In these days of scarcity of sugar (1919), if I say to 
Mrs. Stone, "Hubner's has sugar to-day/' the chances 
are she will be convinced (as she wants to believe this), 
and she will go to the grocery store. If, however, she 
replies to my remark by saying, "I sent Mildred to the 
store and she couldn't get any sugar," I must eliminate 
this interfering idea before she will be convinced. This 
I can do, for example, by saying, "Yes, they will not 
give sugar to children. But if you will go up there right 
now you can get some, for I just got some myself." On 
the other hand, if Mr. Graham is violently opposed to 
Wilson, and I explain why the Treaty of Versailles 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 415 

should be adopted and answer fully all his objections, 
going so far as to get him to admit that he is convinced 
(almost an impossibility), he will nevertheless not act 
in such a way as to support this conviction. To do so 
would run counter to his established attitude toward 
Wilson and Wilson's policies. Before I can secure his 
open support, I must supply an emotional basis for his 
action which is strong enough to result in action despite 
his contempt for Wilson. Conviction through argument 
is ordinarily not sufficient; a real desire to perform the 
act must be created. 

In order, then, to convince a man, certain ideas must 
be established in his mind and counter ideas must be 
eliminated. This is all that is necessary in order that 
a man will accept a new idea as true. And if the new 
idea leads to an action which does not interfere with his 
desires and purposes, we may expect that action to follow 
when occasion arises. But if the new idea leads to an 
action which runs counter to his desires and interests, 
although he is convinced, he will not act until he has 
been led to desire to do the thing. Convincing a man 
and leading him to act involves, as has repeatedly been 
pointed out, (1) the establishment of necessary ideas 
(Lesson XXVIII), (2) the elimination of counter ideas 
(discussed in this lesson), and (3) the development of 
instinctive desires and emotions (Lesson XXX). 

What are these counter ideas ? How do they arise ? 
And how shall they be handled ? 

THE NATURE OF COUNTER IDEAS 

A prospect's remarks are either favorable or unfavor- 
able to my proposition, And his unspoken thoughts are 



4 i6 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

also either favorable or unfavorable. In this lesson we 
are concerned not with the prospect's favorable remarks 
or thoughts, but with the unfavorable ones. It should 
be noted that the unfavorable thoughts are just as im- 
portant as the remarks, for sooner or later they will be 
expressed, unless they are eliminated. 

Why do such unfavorable ideas arise? Clearly be- 
cause of four general causes — i.e.: 

1. Necessary ideas not established — prospect not 
interested; gives excuses. 

2. Outside influences distract prospect — prospect not 
interested; gives excuses. 

3 . Conflict between ideas of salesman and convictions 
of prospect — prospect interested; gives objections. 

4. Conflict between convictions and desires of pros- 
pect — prospect interested; usually gives excuses. 

Excuses and Objections. As a general rule the un- 
favorable remark of a prospect who is uninterested or 
distracted is of a general sort, such as: "I'm not ready 
now to consider the matter," "I can't afford it now." 
On the other hand, when the prospect is interested the 
unfavorable remark is usually specific and directed at 
some point made by the salesman, such as: "My wife 
has money of her own," "What advantage do I get out 
of it?" "My business will keep my family going." 
Most writers on selling have designated the unfavor- 
able general remarks of a prospect as excuses, where- 
as unfavorable specific remarks are designated as 
objections. 

A careful study of the unfavorable remarks of a 
prospect makes it clear that it is not always possible to 
tell whether a remark of the prospect is an objection or 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 417 

an excuse. The same identical statement may in one 
case be an objection and in another case an excuse. 
But, in general, a vague, general questioning or a post- 
ponement may be classified as an excuse, whereas a 
specific definite questioning of a statement of the sales- 
man can be judged to be an objection. The real deter- 
mination as to whether the remark is an objection or 
an excuse depends upon the motive back of the remark. 
If it is uttered because the prospect wants to get rid of 
the salesman, it is an excuse — it is a substitute for the 
emphatic statement: "I don't want any insurance. 
Go on about your business and leave me alone." But 
if it is uttered because of a conflict between the ideas of 
the prospect and those of the salesman, or between 
mental states within the prospect himself, it is a valid 
objection. Accordingly, we shall speak of the unfavor- 
able remarks of an uninterested or distracted prospect as 
excuses, and the unfavorable remarks of an interested 
prospect as objections. 

GENERAL RULES REGARDING THE HANDLING OF 
OBJECTIONS 

Head off objections whenever possible. If you sus- 
pect a prospect has an objection to your proposition, 
dispose of it before he actually utters it. Once he has 
made the objection, he will defend it, for no one enjoys 
being beaten in an argument. But when it is answered 
beforehand, there is little or no tendency to defend it. 
Review again how Collins headed off the objection 
Hudson would have made — i.e., "I can't afford it" 
(Lesson XVI). 



4 i S THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Do not raise objections the prospect has not thought of. 
The rule in the last paragraph refers only to those cases 
where you are quite sure the prospect has a certain 
objection in mind or will formulate it sooner or later. 
There is nothing to be gained by suggesting to him 
additional reasons why he should not buy even when 
you have a very good answer. "Good answers" don't 
always convince a prospect. 

Avoid mentioning competing companies. Reference 
to competitors is psychologically the same thing as sug- 
gesting an objection to buying. In both cases you sup- 
ply a second possible response to your proposition, and 
selling is essentially the elimination of all competing 
ideas so that there is only one thing the prospect has 
before him to do. 

If the prospect introduces the subject of competing 
salesmen or companies, agree to every detail that is pos- 
sible and do it in a broad-minded, generous manner. 
Do not run down your profession that you may make 
a little money. After you have agreed to everything 
you can, then play up that element in your proposition 
which makes the best showing in contrast with the 
others. Say as little as possible about the inferiority of 
the competing proposition and as much as possible 
about your good points. Then lead the solicitation 
back to your main points again. The more concern 
you show about your competitor the more you imply 
that you are afraid of him. 

With these general rules out of the way, let us now 
consider more specific methods of handling excuses and 
objections. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 419 

I. HOW TO HANDLE EXCUSES WHICH ARISE WHEN THE 
PROSPECT IS NOT INTERESTED, DUE TO THE FACT THAT 
THE NECESSARY IDEAS HAVE NOT BEEN GIVEN HIM 

This is, of course, exactly the condition which meets 
the salesman at the commencement of his interview, 
before he has had an opportunity to explain his proposi*- 
tion. The matter has already been discussed in Lesson 
XXVI, which should be reviewed at this point. 

But the prospect may have been properly diverted 
to the salesman's proposition and later on become 
uninterested. In such cases we may expect him to 
interrupt the solicitation with unfavorable remarks or 
excuses. The fact that a general excuse is uttered is 
sometimes the first indication the prospect has given 
that he has drifted away from the interest he showed 
earlier in the talk. 

The proper method of handling all such excuses is 
identical with the tactics of diverting the prospect 
originally from his work to the salesman's proposition. 
The excuse should be ignored, or agreed to as far as 
possible, and the salesman should redouble his efforts 
to interest the prospect. He should realize also that 
the ideas and incitements which he has already given 
are not adequate and he should bring forth a new set. 
For example, Mr. Salesman has presented a proposition 
to Mr. Kellogg featuring college education for his son, 
endowment in old age, and protection for his wife, in 
case of Kellogg's death. He realizes he had genuine 
interest at the start, but while emphasizing the income 
features for Kellogg's wife he is interrupted by the 
excuse, "Your proposition is an interesting one, but I 

28 



4 2o THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

guess I won't do anything now. I have all the insur- 
ance I need at present." The natural line of develop- 
ment would be to ask the amount of insurance and 
show how inadequate it was in terms of the income to be 
derived from it as invested capital. But if Mr. Kellogg 
shows increasing annoyance it may be inferred that he 
and his wife are not on very friendly terms. Mr. Sales- 
man should then fall back upon inciting him in terms 
of love for his son and the desirability of being independ- 
ent in his old age, and suggesting the son as beneficiary, 
with the option of changing the beneficiary later, if 
desired. If the change in tactics dissipates Kellogg's 
annoyance, it may be assumed that the inference is 
correct and Kellogg is not then interested in protecting 
his wife. 

The sales interview between Collins and Hudson 
(Lesson XVI) is a good illustration of a case where the 
prospect is uninterested and interrupts with excuse 
after excuse. He is uninterested to the end, but is out- 
maneuvered and forced to take the policy because he 
can give no reason why he shouldn't. Up to line 200 
Collins has gone right ahead with his presentation with 
hardly more than the slightest references to Hudson's 
excuses. The sale is accomplished by inciting Hudson's 
desire for success and to be thought well of plus 
Hudson's inability to establish a reason why he 
shouldn't buy. 

2. HOW TO HANDLE EXCUSES WHICH ARISE WHEN THE 
PROSPECT IS NOT INTERESTED, DUE TO DISTRACTIONS 

Three kinds of distractions may be considered: (a) 
a purely external distraction, such as answering the 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 421 

telephone; (b) the buyer's mind reverting back to his 
business because of seeing a letter on his desk, etc.; 
and (c) the buyer becoming interested in some side 
issue, such as the high cost of living, how he served as 
insurance officer at Camp Taylor, etc.. and insisting on 
discussion of the side issue. 

Following an interruption of the solicitation by an 
outside distraction, there is a lowering of the prospect's 
interest in the proposition. Accordingly, he may com- 
mence to see defects in it he would not otherwise have 
seen or he may become so uninterested as to revert to 
his usual strategy of handling callers. In consequence, 
following each interruption, the salesman should 
handle the prospect as though he were preparing to 
utter some excuse whether he actually does or not. 

In order to give a concrete setting to this discussion, 
let us imagine these different kinds of distractions 
occurring while Bagley is attempting to sell Barnes 
(Lesson I). 

(a) How to handle purely external distractions. 
Suppose at line 89 the telephone rings and Barnes is 
absent five minutes. This interruption takes place near 
the close of a four-paragraph explanation of what an 
educational policy is in which Bagley is attempting to 
incite Barnes's love for his boy. What shall Bagley do 
when Barnes returns? 

It is essential that Bagley recapitulate the points he 
has made, because Barnes has pretty largely forgotten 
them. It should be done, however, by using a new set 
of phrases and illustrations, so that Barnes does not 
consciously realize that the solicitation is being 
repeated. 



422 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

It is well, however, not to commence giving essen- 
tial facts immediately after the interruption. Count 
on it that a minute or two will elapse before the prospect 
can drop entirely all thought of what happened during 
the interruption and give your proposition undivided 
attention. During this transition interval present some 
minor phase of what you were discussing, but do it in 
such a way as to make it interesting. For example, 
Bagley might renew the solicitation by saying, "We 
were discussing the advisability of a boy working his 
way through college. By the way, Evans tells me that 
Andrews, who played on the team last year, did not 
come back this year because of his father's business 
failure. It's a pity. If he had been in the game Satur- 
day, Wesleyan might have fared better." Then Bag- 
ley can revert to the idea that if Barnes should die, his 
boy might not get a college education. 

There is one more phase to this problem of winning 
Barnes back to the presentation. Bagley has not only 
been presenting reasons in order to convince Barnes, 
but he has also been appealing to Barnes's love for his 
boy. Most of the effect of these incitements has been 
lost. It is then most important that further incitements 
be given in order to bring Barnes back to the same 
state of emotional activity in which he was when the 
telephone rang. 

Knack of Selling considers the following plan useful 
in winning back the prospect to the proposition, espe- 
cially when there have been a number of interruptions. 
It says: 

"After one of these interruptions, the salesman 
always resumes his talk in a very low tone of voice. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 423 

In fact, he talks so low that his prospect has to strain 
his ears to hear. 

"' Start in so indistinctly that Mr. See-how-busy-I- 
am can't hear you without leaning forward and bend- 
ing his whole attention on you,' says the salesman, 
*and in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, he'll involun- 
tarily give you the chance you want — then when 
you've chased everything else out of his head, you can 
gradually raise your voice to normal and go on with 
your canvass.'" 1 

(b) How to handle the prospect when his mind re- 
verts to his work. For example, suppose at this same 
point in the sales interview between Bagley and Barnes, 
Bagley suddenly realizes that Barnes is studying a 
letter lying on his desk, or is looking past him with a 
far-away look. What shall he do? 

This situation is in most respects similar to those 
discussed in Lesson XXVI — Diverting Prospect's Inter- 
est to My Proposition. Review that lesson in this con- 
nection. Almost any device compelling attention, such 
as raising or lowering the voice, stopping talking, mov- 
ing in one's chair, showing some diagram, is useful here. 

Frequently a well-worded question is sufficient to 
bring the prospect back to you. Or a particularly inter- 
esting fact may be related such as that concerning 
Andrews, the football player, who was so sadly needed 
in the Saturday game. The chances are very slight 
that Barnes would miss this information. Then the 
preceding points should be recapitulated as described 
above when a telephone interrupted the conversation. 

Whenever the prospect's mind reverts to his work 

, * H. Watson, Knack of Selling, 1913, Book ii, p. 30. 



4 2 4 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

during the solicitation, it is proof positive that interest 
has not been sustained and that redoubled efforts 
should be made to incite the prospect's instinctive 
interests. 

(c) How to handle the prospect when he insists upon 
talking. For example, suppose Barnes should start 
talking about his Alma Mater and then start off about 
the football game of last Saturday. How shall Bagley 
handle this interruption to his solicitation? 

"These little side excursions, if not too prolonged, 
are profitable, for as a rule they create a feeling of 
friendliness and mutual understanding. In some cases, 
however, especially in the presence of the garrulous 
type of buyer who loves the sound of his own voice, a 
discussion of trivial and irrelevant matters often leads 
so far from business that it is almost impossible for the 
salesman to drag back the mind of the buyer to the 
main thing under the discussion. When a customer 
is allowed to take the bit between his teeth in this way, 
the salesman cannot say what he would like to say — 
namely, that he hasn't time to discuss things which are 
irrelevant to his proposition. He must follow the pros- 
pect's lead, waiting for an opportunity to steer the con- 
versation tactfully to the main track which leads to 
decision. There are several ways of recalling the wan- 
derer to realities. After the salesman has revealed the 
interest that courtesy demands in what his customer 
has to say, one method is to refrain from making any 
further comments even to the extent of saying, "Yes" 
or "No." If he will look the talker straight in the face 
and merely nod in assent or shake his head when ques- 
tions are put to him, the monologue will soon reach 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 425 

the end of its gallop. As soon as a pause in conversation 
takes place, the salesman takes hold of the customer 
by the halter and leads him gently back to the road in 
this way: 

"'What you have told me, Mr. Jones, is very inter- 
esting and some other time I would like to know more 
about it; but I must not take up your time now. You 
were asking something about our terms that I ought to 
explain. . . .' 

"When the garrulity of a customer seems like the 
babbling brook, the first opportunity to break in must 
be seized with such a remark as: 'Yes, I thoroughly 
agree with you, Mr. Jones. Don't think me rude if I 
break in, but before I forget it I want you to under- 
stand thoroughly that part of my offer. . . .' Conversa- 
tion which is beside the point is thus interrupted and 
the customer is tactfully led back to the main point." 1 

3. HOW TO HANDLE OBJECTIONS WHICH ARISE BECAUSE 
OF A CONFLICT BETWEEN THE IDEAS OF THE SALES- 
MAN AND THE CONVICTIONS OF THE PROSPECT 

As previously outlined, an objection is expressed by 
a prospect who is interested. It is generally of a specific 
nature, definitely challenging some point the salesman 
has made. In such cases there is a conflict between the 
ideas of the salesman and of the prospect. 

Suppose, at line 89, Barnes had interrupted with the 
remark, "Yes, I grant you a college education is most 
desirable, but I believe a boy should work his way 
through college. I didn't have to myself, and have 
always felt that I would have gotten more out of my 

1 H. Whitehead, Principles of Salesmanship, 1918, pp. 187-188. 



426 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

course if I had had to." Here is an objection uttered 
because Bagley 's ideas conflict with Barnes's. How 
shall Bagley answer it? The material in lines 91 to 97 
wouldn't do now, although if it had been uttered before 
Barnes had raised the objection it might have headed 
off the objection (as it was intended to do). The reason 
why it won't do is that Barnes will not change his con- 
victions because others disagree with him. He will 
change his mind on this point only if the fundamental 
cause is eliminated which prompted him to believe 
that his boy should work his way through college. 
What is that cause? 

Without doubt it is that Barnes noticed certain class- 
mates receiving honors in college, or immediately after 
leaving college, which he coveted and could not get. 
And he has said to himself, "They beat me out because 
they had business experiences I hadn't had." Bagley 's 
reply to the objection should consequently be some- 
thing as follows: "There is no question about it that 
many boys work their way through college and make 
a great success of it. I have personally seen several 
cases where it has been the making of a boy. After all, 
however, it isn't the fact that a boy works his way 
through college or not that is important, but it is the 
development within him of business ability, confidence, 
knowledge of how to put a proposition over, and a sort 
of undefinable easy social manner whereby he is able 
to meet prominent men and women with a feeling of 
equality. Now I have a youngster myself, and I figure 
that if my boy spends a year between high school and 
college devoted to earning his living he will get what 
both you and I desire for our boys when we think of 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 427 

them working their way through college. Then, when 
in college my boy will have learned what it means to 
earn a living; he will have the little money he has saved 
plus a definite amount each half year from me, if I am 
alive, or from my educational policy, if I've gone. 
Upon this he can live properly, have time to enter into 
the multitudinous affairs of college life, and acquire 
that most necessary quality — the ability to meet all 
kinds of people — because he has some leisure in which 
to do it. In other words, a boy needs to learn how to 
work, to do his college studies, and to meet people. 
The greatest opportunity of learning to meet people is 
at college. And I am sure you agree with me that when 
a boy is forced to wash windows, wait on table, or tutor 
stupid classmates he is missing many opportunities to 
take an active part in dramatics, debating, and college 
affairs — opportunities which he can have only while 
in college and which he will regret very much that he 
missed when he looks back upon his college days in 
later life." 

Unless Barnes renews his objection, Bagley should 
proceed immediately with the next point in his presenta- 
tion on the assumption that the objection has been 
eliminated. 

What was accomplished in this reply to Barnes's 
objection? Simply this: Bagley practically "side- 
stepped " the whole argument as to whether a boy 
should work his way through college or not and fell 
back upon the proposition as to whether he would or 
would not learn to meet prominent men and women. 
Barnes certainly desires that his boy shall develop this 
ability. He can renew his objection now only by pnrv> 



428 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

ing that working one's way through college aids a boy 
in this respect — a difficult point to maintain. In addi- 
tion, the glamour of working one's way through college 
is lost in the picture of his boy washing windows while 
others are playing Shakespeare. 

The rule in answering objections due to a conflict 
between your ideas and those of your prospect, should 
be to agree to every phase of the objection that you can 
and then to sustain your point against his view in terms 
of the ideas that underlie the objection made. 

Suppose, again, after Bagley has finished his prelimi- 
nary explanation of what an educational policy is (line 
98), Barnes makes another objection — namely, "I agree 
with all you say, Mr. Bagley, but my wife has set aside 
a definite amount out of her recent inheritance to meet 
the boy's education; consequently I don't see any need 
of my taking out such a policy." How shall we apply 
our rule in this case? Bagley can reply, "Fine, that's 
fine. Your boy's education is well taken care of. But, 
after all, isn't it done at the expense of the income your 
wife will have to depend upon in case you do not live? 
And your wife has the heavy load of bringing up two 
daughters in addition. My friends all tell me it costs 
more to educate a daughter than a son. You can meet 
this, of course, by increasing the insurance payable to 
your wife. On the other hand, because most fathers 
deem it their own peculiarly personal task to put their 
boys through college, would it not be better for you to 
guarantee the boy's education ? Then if you do not live, 
the boy will go through college without any expense to 
your wife and the money she has set aside for this pur- 
pose can be retained as additional principal to main- 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 429 

tain the whole family. If your wife really wants to set 
it aside for him, it can be used in starting him in busi- 
ness, and if you do live you will have this £3,000 com- 
ing to you at sixty-three or sixty-four/' Unless stopped 
by a further objection, Bagley should then continue 
talking along about provision for old age and give time 
for Barnes to react to the incitement that he, not his 
wife, should take care of his boy's education, fortified 
by the reasons that his wife needs this capital to main- 
tain the home and has the girls to look after. 

Do not attempt to smash an objection of this sort, but 
get underneath it and pry it loose from its hold in the 
prospect's mind. Make it seem inconsequential beside 
some other conviction which is more fundamental and 
which without question the prospect most thoroughly 
holds. 

All objections in this class — i.e., when there is a con- 
flict between the ideas of the salesman and those of the 
prospect — must necessarily be respected and answered. 
They indicate that your line of reasoning has not fitted 
in with the accepted ideas of the prospect and warn you 
to link up your new ideas with more fundamental con- 
ceptions in his life. Review again in this connection the 
points brought out in Lesson XXVIII, for this class of 
objections arises because of an inadequate presentation. 

4. HOW TO HANDLE EXCUSES (SOMETIMES OBJECTIONS) 
WHICH ARISE BECAUSE OF A CONFLICT BETWEEN 
THE CONVICTIONS AND DESIRES OF THE PROSPECT 

Note, we are here concerned with a conflict within 
the mind of the prospect, a conflict between his own con- 
victions and desires. 



430 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

If the desires are on the side of the salesman, the 
objections will be definite, but not necessarily hurled 
at remarks of the salesman. Instead, they may be and 
usually are in this case hurled at the prospect's own set 
of reasons why he shouldn't buy. For example, Mr. 
James lost money in a bank failure and since then has 
put all his savings into real estate. But he has been 
incited to take insurance for the sake of his wife. He 
will raise objection after objection, all aimed at the 
possible failure of the insurance company. Mr. James 
really desires to have his objections defeated, for he 
desires to protect his wife through insurance. 

Seldom, in selling insurance, do we have the case 
where the desires of the buyer are to buy insurance and 
his convictions are against such action. This is the 
typical condition when we are buying luxuries, such as 
autos, furs, and fancy neckties. The difference be- 
tween insurance and luxuries is that we do not instinc- 
tively desire insurance, whereas we do desire luxuries, 
for they cater to our desire for display, amusement, etc. 
Occasionally, we do have this condition, however, in 
selling insurance. For example, a young clerk, on a 
small salary with a sickly wife and baby, may have 
been worked up to a point where he very much desires 
to provide adequate protection for his family, only to 
discover the cost is greater than he can afford. In such 
cases the objections he raises represent the intellectual 
side of his life and are made because he does not feel 
he should act as his desires prompt him. Secretly, he 
would like to have the objections demolished. Typical 
of this situation is that of a friend of mine who told me 
the other day that he had spent several months en- 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 431 

deavoring to justify the purchase of an auto. But he 
could advance no real reason why he should spend 
money in that way. Finally he gave up the attempt 
and went and bought the car. The fact that he wanted 
it was sufficient. 

When you do have a case where the prospect desires 
insurance, but is not convinced, you will find that 
objection after objection will be hurled at you. And 
they will be objections pretty largely concerning points 
you have not raised yourself. After you have answered 
several, it is usually safe to come out very frankly and 
say, "Mr. Prospect, you and I want to handle this 
matter on a business basis. I fear that I have omitted 
some point which is bothering you. Possibly, if you 
could tell me what it is, I could explain the matter." 
You may venture to ask him to state his objection 
openly and forcefully because you have concluded his 
desires are with you and only his convictions are against 
you. It is not difficult to outargue a man when he 
wants to be defeated. 

If, on the other hand, the desires of the prospect are 
opposed to the salesman's proposition, then the pros- 
pect gives excuses, not true objections. For example, 
Mr. Leonard has a wife who was a school-teacher before 
marriage and who feels perfectly competent to take care 
of herself if he should die. For this reason she has 
steadfastly opposed insurance, as she prefers to spend 
the money for amusement. Mr. Leonard is convinced 
a man should carry insurance, and is uneasy at the 
thought of dying and having his friends discover he has 
left nothing for his wife. On the other hand, he, too, 
does not want to give up certain amusements, and very 



432 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

decidedly desires to please his wife. In such a case his 
objections will seldom reveal the true conflict in his 
mind, but will seem to the salesman to be mere excuses 
— excuses which should be ignored. But the fact that 
the prospect is apparently interested should warn the 
salesman that there is some mental conflict within the 
prospect which the prospect does not want to reveal. 
The salesman should, accordingly, feel around and at- 
tempt to discover what it is. If he should answer every 
such objection or excuse he will gain little; he must 
get at the fount ainhead of the objections and clear 
that up. 

Two lines of action are open : First attempt to incite 
the prospect to buy. That is, fight his emotional objec- 
tions with emotional appeals. If this fails, then you 
must discover the cause of his emotional disinclination 
to take out insurance. 

For several years, a salesman has solicited insurance 
from Mr. Murray, a prosperous business man of about 
forty who has no insurance at all. He married a woman 
somewhat younger than himself, ten years ago. Mr. 
Murray has no children or close relations, and is ap- 
parently interested only in his business and in driving 
an auto. On being solicited, he brings forth the same 
old excuses one after the other and finally concludes 
by saying quite emphatically, "No, I won't take out 
insurance now. My business is sufficient." The fact 
that he always listens attentively to each new proposi- 
tion and asks intelligent questions about the proposi- 
tion before lapsing into his usual set of excuses is 
sufficient to indicate that he is interested to some ex- 
tent. The best inference is that his desires are opposed 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 433 

to what he intellectually believes in. Failing to arouse 
him by appeals to protect his wife, one is forced to 
conclude he is not interested in his wife, and to fall 
back upon old-age protection for himself. If this infer- 
ence is true, the sale will be very difficult to make 
because one will have to arouse sufficient emotional ac- 
tivity to overcome his opposition to his wife and have 
enough over to motivate the sale. (Mr. Murray is still 
unsold. His wife is following a career of her own and 
insists on living in a hotel, though he has repeatedly 
urged his desire for a home and a family. Resentment 
at her unwillingness to give him what he most wants 
expresses itself in refusal to sacrifice himself for her in 
the way of insurance. And as he is confident that as 
long as he lives his business will support him he cannot 
be alarmed about his need for protection in old age.) 

SUMMARY 

Conflict either within the mind of the prospect, or 
between his ideas and yours, leads to counter ideas. 

Counter ideas can be handled, as pointed out in 
Lesson XXVIII, by answering them, by overlooking 
them, or by openly minimizing them. 

Counter ideas are either vague, general, and prac- 
tically the equivalent of saying, "I don't want to," 01 
they are direct challenges to some phase of the sales- 
man's proposition. The former are termed excuses, 
the latter objections. 

Excuses should be handled on the assumption that 
the prospect is not sufficiently interested. But occa- 
sionally they indicate a conflict within the prospect's 
mind whereby he is convinced of the value of insurance, 



434 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

but does not desire it, due to some emotional disturb- 
ance in his life. Such excuses cannot be answered; one 
must discover the emotional disturbance and grapple 
with it. 

Objections should be answered or minimized, for they 
indicate interest — sometimes genuine desire to buy 
interfered with by lack of conviction as to the wisdom 
of the purchase. 

ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
LESSON XXX 

Mr. Raymond has called upon Mr. S. T. Young oc- 
casionally during a period of three years, the last time 
six months ago, but he has been unable to close. Each 
time Mr. Young has shown interest in the proposition; 
in fact, it is apparent that he is quite emotionally 
stirred up each time and seems to decide finally not to 
buy only after a real mental struggle. Mr. Young has 
a salary of about $2,500, lives in a rented house with his 
wife, two small children, and his own mother, who is 
well advanced in years and very difficult to handle, be- 
cause of deafness and quick temper. Each time Mr. 
Young has refused to sign the application he has stated 
he could not possibly afford the insurance. Raymond 
has just discovered that he bought a Ford, probably on 
the installment plan, three months ago. 

What do you imagine was the cause of his emotional 
disturbance when each time he finally decided he 
could not afford the insurance ? Outline how Raymond 
should answer the oft-repeated objection, "I can't 
afford it," when he calls next week — a date two weeks 
in advance of Young's next "insurance birthday." 



LESSON XXX. AROUSING DESIRE— A THIRD 
PHASE OF THE FOURTH TACTICAL STEP 

" Arousing desire" is a rather loosely coined phrase. 
It means, in salesmanship, the linking up of an act 
with a man's basic desires, making him feel that the 
new action is the most appropriate thing for him to 
do in order to carry out his heartfelt longings. In the 
case of the International Correspondence School ad- 
vertisement, discussed in Lesson XII, we saw the young 
man made to think about his home, his father, and 
mother, and many of his childhood experiences; he was 
led to think of his family and acquaintances as expect- 
ing him to make good; he was led to think about how 
much he wanted to make good for their sake and for 
his own sake; and then the specific act of signing the 
coupon was suggested as a way by which he could do 
all these things that he wanted to do. The reader of the 
advertisement was aroused ("bomb" exploded) so that 
he wanted to please his parents and to make good; this 
activity was then "funneled" into the desired act of 
signing the coupon through reasons and further 
incitements. 

This suggests a point of view diametrically opposed 
to that which is accepted by the great mass of people. 
As has been pointed out before, the average man be- 
lieves he acts on the basis of reason. Economists have 
built up their whole so-called science of economics upon 
29 



436 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

the assumption. Our legal lights insist upon this view 
with the utmost tenacity. The most casual inspection, 
however, of the lives of our friends and of ourselves 
makes it clear that we do what we want to, and find 
reasons to justify the action; we do not see first that 
an act is reasonable and then ardently proceed. 

It has already been pointed out that a salesman pre- 
sents ideas in order (a) to lead the prospect to believe 
he decides on the basis of reasons; (b) to supply him 
with reasons to defend his action when discussing the 
matter with his friends; and (c) to camouflage the 
appeal to his emotional life. For all men prefer to think 
of themselves as profoundly rational, yet all great 
leaders of men have led through their ability to appeal 
to instincts. The teachings of Christ are not reasoned 
arguments. Where is there any argument in the 
Parable of the Good Samaritan, or in any other of his 
parables ? Study the speeches of Lincoln or Bryan or 
Roosevelt. Underneath the argument are incitements 
aplenty. The great difference between the demagogue 
and the statesman or religious leader is that the first 
appeals to the baser aspects of our desires, whereas the 
two latter appeal to the loftiest elements of those same 
desires. 

Why does man distrust his instinctive emotions and 
wish to rely on reasons? Undoubtedly, one answer is 
that all have learned that their instinctive desires very 
frequently lead them into trouble. As children we did 
what we wanted to, and we were constantly punished 
for acts that adults or our companions didn't like. Be- 
cause of this we learned to inhibit our desires for apples 
in somebody's orchard or off the fruit stand. We ceased 






SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 437 

to grab the biggest piece of cake because we found it 
was more satisfactory to have a smaller piece plus 
favorable approval than a few more bites and contempt. 
Consequently, we learned to be wary of doing what our 
instincts prompted, without first scrutinizing the pro- 
cedure to see what would be the final outcome. 

In influencing others, it is, therefore, essential that 
we do not allow them to realize we are appealing to 
their emotions. For if we do we set them to guarding 
their actions. And also, we roil them, for they feel we 
are attempting to take advantage of their weak side. 
An address I heard years ago, by a returned mission- 
ary who was appealing to college men to go to China 
as missionaries, illustrates the point. The missionary 
spent fully fifteen minutes of the hour emphasizing the 
point that he was not appealing to their emotions. He 
then pictured the awful need of the Chinese for West- 
ern learning and leadership and for Christianity by 
relating one concrete incident after another, and wound 
up his address by emphasizing the difficulties and 
hardships of a missionary's life, but the bigness of the 
opportunity for service. The address made a profound 
impression, and several men have since gone to China 
who were present that day. Psychologically, this mis- 
sionary sold the idea of lifetime service by arousing the 
parental and fighting instincts in their loftiest forms — 
their lives were to be spent in helping suffering people, 
and the very best and utmost in them would be needed. 
The framework of this "selling talk" was rigidly logical 
and lent itself beautifully to outline form. But inter- 
woven through this logical presentation were incite- 
ments galore. And the incitements were doubly efFec- 



438 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

tive because the audience had been led to believe (and 
I am quite certain the missionary honestly believed 
also) that there would be no appeal to their emotions 
and so did not scrutinize the speaker's points as they 
might otherwise have done. 

This illustration emphasizes another difference be- 
tween presenting reasons and incitements. Reasons 
should be given in logical order. It should be just as 
possible for the prospect to outline your sales talk as to 
outline a lecture or sermon. You want him to get your 
points; therefore, organize your material so as to ac- 
complish this aim. But, on the other hand, you don't 
want the prospect to notice your incitements. You 
don't want him to stop and think, "Why did he say 
that?" You want him to react to the incitement, but 
not to think about it. If Barnes stops and thinks about 
Bagley's remarks concerning his "son" and "college" 
and "son going to college," most of the effect will be 
lost. This is so because Barnes will ask himself, "What's 
his game?" But as it was, Barnes discussed these sub- 
jects with Bagley and never was conscious of how he 
had become very much interested; he just was inter- 
ested. Incitements, then, must needs be given in a 
touch-and-go manner; very lightly at first, until the 
prospect has been warmed up emotionally, and then 
more and more heavily and directly. 

HOW TO AROUSE DESIRE 

What impulses should be aroused? This question 
is the fourth step of the strategy of selling, and has 
already been answered in Lessons XVII, XYIH ? and 






SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 439 

XXII, where it was pointed out that almost any im- 
pulse sufficiently aroused would aid in selling insurance, 
but that ordinarily impulses closely related to the sub- 
ject of insurance should be used. In other words, the 
basic process in creating desire is to arouse the emo- 
tional life of the prospect. If the instincts to love wife 
and children cannot be appealed to, then use other 
instinctive or acquired interests as a basis for desire. 

All this was wonderfully well carried out in the recent 
Liberty Loan campaigns — campaigns of selling quite 
similar to those of selling life insurance. Much of the 
advertising did not refer to a "bond" in any way. But 
it did breathe aspiration and idealism, not repression. 
As Atwood has so clearly pointed out: "The main 
thing is to put people in cheerful and enthusiastic mood 
so as to give expression to their feelings, as they are 
sure to do when stirred by music, color, meetings, and 
the like. They must be made happier, made to feel 
that they are part of a great effort. They must be made 
to feel in it. All the advertising must express forward 
movement, positive action. In this particular campaign, 
which is coincident with the bitterest fighting of the 
war, we must use such words as 'attack/ 'drive,' 'dig 
in,' and the like. People must feel they are doing a 
definite, constructive thing, and if that is done they will 
buy even if the word 'bond* isn't used." 1 Thus was 
built up an emotional atmosphere about the idea of 
bonds so that one quickly reacted when asked to buy. 

This is the type of publicity that is needed by the 
insurance world, and not the dry-as-dust statistical 

1 A. W. Atwood, "Getting Other People's Money," in Saturday Evening 
Post, April 12, 1919. Reprinted by permission. 



440 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

statements, which the average citizen cannot compre- 
hend, and which cannot kindle within him any real 
interest in the subject. 

Granted that the basic principle in creating desire is 
the arousal of instinctive and emotional activities in 
general, there is the further question, Which specific 
impulses should be aroused? 

The endeavor should always be to arouse impulses 
which are most closely related to the proposition itself 
and to the daily life of the prospect. In selling an 
endowment policy to a young unmarried man, incite- 
ments to the instinct for leadership (i.e., thrift, success, 
business for oneself, etc.) are the most appropriate. 
But everyone that has sold such policies knows that 
references to how this policy will protect a future wife 
will help sell the policy. In selling an endowment policy 
for old-age protection to a bachelor, nearly all the in- 
stincts except sex and parental can be used, and very 
often these can also be used in an indirect way. To tell 
a prospect he will have an absolutely certain income 
of $200 a month is not enough. The $200 should be 
expressed in terms of eating, traveling, entertaining 
friends, maintaining his present club dues, having his 
accustomed smokes, tailor-made clothes, etc. To have 
$200 a month when one is sixty-five, thirty years hence, 
is not particularly interesting. But to have friends, 
clothes, good meals, smokes, magazines, etc., is another 
matter. In other words, the abstract idea of $200 at 
sixty-five must be made concrete in terms of the inter- 
ests of to-day. 

What incitements should be used to arouse these 
impulses? Simple suggestions and brief word pictures 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 441 

should be used which will start the prospect's mind 
thinking about these subjects in terms of his desires. 
To describe exactly the ideas you want in the prospect's 
mind is to incite him in a very inferior manner. For 
you prevent his mind from enlarging on the subject 
and bringing in the details (unknown to you) which are 
most vital. To tell the above prospect that this $200 
will enable him to have good meals, good clothes, live 
at the club as now, etc., said in just so many words, is 
better than to say nothing, but is not so effective as it 
should be. One should rather say to the prospect some- 
thing like this: "You know I have taken out protection 
for old-age emergencies, and I have pictured to myself 
that when I am old and laid up as no longer of particu- 
lar use, I am going to read a lot of the best books, which 
I just don't find time to look at nowadays. I figure I 
have enough of an assured income so that my wife and 
I can have a nice little flat in the city. And when we 
want to we can visit Europe and Florida and California 
and see a lot of things we have so far missed." While 
you are more or less daydreaming aloud, he is doing 
the same. But he may not be dreaming at all about the 
details you are talking about. He is putting in what he 
wants to in order to make the picture attractive to him. 
Right here lies one of the mistakes many salesmen 
make. They force the prospect's mind to follow the 
workings of their own minds in all the details. In 
creating desire hint at ideals and daydreams in such a 
way that the prospect will think about his own aspira- 
tions. Maneuver to get his mind actively engaged, for 
desire comes from within; it cannot be put in by the 
salesman. 



442 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

How shall we " put over " effective incitements? 
We must feel what we want the prospect to feel. We 
desire to arouse the prospect's emotions. Arouse our 
own, for emotions are contagious. But how can emo- 
tions be aroused at will? I cannot order the palms of 
my hands to perspire, for example. But I can recall a 
story of a boy who climbed up a scaffolding and then 
couldn't get down, and my hands are perspiring right 
now as I write this. Listening to a salesman the other 
day, I suddenly realized he had become very much 
aroused emotionally. Later on I asked him about it. 
He said: "When I get a prospect to the point where 
he says he believes in insurance but won't take it just 
now, I recall a case I had years ago where the same 
thing happened and I took the man's excuse, expecting 
to return a month later. Two weeks later he was 
killed. After the funeral his wife called on me, asking 
where was the policy. She knew her husband was 
figuring on taking insurance and that I had solicited 
him, for she came into the office when I was there, and 
she had inferred he had taken the #10,000 protection. 
The experience in my office that day I have never for- 
gotten, and I do not want another." This insurance 
salesman, through thinking of this incident, automati- 
cally arouses his own emotions, and in consequence 
intensifies those of his prospect, and thereby very mate- 
rially increases the chances of selling him. One must 
feel if one would make others feel. 

It is important that one should feel as one desires 
the prospect to feel in order to increase the prospect's 
emotional state, but it is also necessary in order that 
one's statements will ring true. If one should be offered 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 443 

some very fine lace at an expensive figure and see it 
roughly handled, one would instinctively doubt the 
statements of the salesman. But if all of his actions 
are suggestive of very rare workmanship, then all his 
remarks concerning it are intensified. So it is in selling 
insurance. One must be genuinely interested in one's 
prospect and genuinely convinced of the worth of the 
policy. 

It is not easy to arouse oneself emotionally. The 
mere fact that it is desired is sufficient to prevent it 
ordinarily. Actors, however, learn to do it, and sales- 
men should learn also. Without question, the easiest 
way is to recall incidents that have aroused one as one 
presents incitements to a prospect. 

At what point in the interview should efforts be made 
to arouse desire? The principal thing in selling is to 
arouse desire. This is the main thesis of this entire 
volume. Herein it differs from most other books on 
this subject, for in them the point is made that desire 
should be aroused late in the interview. We maintain 
that the whole sales interview should be constructed 
so as to create desire, and to do it as soon as possible. 
The salesman should determine just how this may best 
be accomplished in terms of incitements and develop 
his reasons in accordance with them. He should enter 
the office of the prospect with the method of creating 
desire uppermost in his mind, and he should maneuver 
to present his incitements as fast as opportunities arise. 

It is not always possible to arouse desire at the 
beginning. The cause for this is not so much because of 
the prospect, but because of the salesman. He has not 
been able to find a way of appealing to the prospect in 



444 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

an interesting manner. More thoroughgoing study of 
the prospect and more careful preparation of how to 
meet him are needed. 

Another cause of the widespread belief that desire 
must be appealed to late in the interview is due to the 
emphasis upon presenting reasons instead of incite- 
ments. It is true that reasons must be emphasized. 
But a sales interview in which only reasons are given 
until late in the solicitation is a poor interview. Under- 
neath, the reasons from the very start should be incite- 
ments to action. But as has been repeatedly pointed 
out, the prospect must not become conscious that you 
are presenting incitements to his emotional life. In 
consequence, the incitements at the start must be well 
camouflaged by the reasons which are presented. As 
the prospect becomes aroused more and more, the 
incitements can be made stronger and stronger, and 
also more and more direct. A study of how most great 
salesmen conduct an interview shows clearly that this 
is just what they do, although most of them are quite 
unconscious of how emotionally they are worked up 
themselves. 

Our analyses of how Bagley sold Barnes, Harrington 
sold Alderson, and Redding sold Burton, have illus- 
trated all this. Collins sold Hudson by eliminating 
the one best reason Hudson could give against taking 
insurance (i.e., he couldn't afford to), and then by incit- 
ing him to action in terms of his desire to succeed with 
his employer. The sales interview between Brown and 
Hartley contains practically no incitements, and Brown 
makes little or no headway until he replies to Hartley's 
ejaculation, "I'll take my chances on that," by saying: 
"It's your wife's chances you take, not your own. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 445 

There are thousands of widows working hard to make 
a bare existence, who are living examples of 'he took 
a chance — my chance/ " etc. Before Hartley could 
think out an answer to this Brown offered him a com- 
promise^ — to be examined — and Hartley accepted be- 
cause he was thus able to escape the annoying salesman 
and also feel he had won in the argument. He is not 
yet sold, and it is not altogether certain he will be. 
The incitement, just referred to, and the compromise 
are mainly responsible, however, for his agreement to 
see the doctor. 

Are all men susceptible to heart appeals? The popu- 
lar tendency is to divide human beings into groups with 
respect to any given trait. Men are classified, then, as 
either honest or dishonest, brave or cowardly, indus- 
trious or lazy, intelligent or stupid, blond or brunette. 
Scientific studies have all emphasized that men do not 
fall into such extremes, but that the great majority 
fall between, and only the exceptional individuals are 
out-and-out honest, brave, industrious, intelligent, or 
blond on the one hand, and dishonest, cowardly, lazy, 
stupid, or brunette on the other. 

Marden expresses the popular view when he says 
that "there are two chief classes of men that you will 
approach. One class is ruled chiefly by reason, the other 
by impulses, emotion, prejudices, enthusiasm, likes, 
and dislikes. The first class can be convinced only by 
hard, matter-of-fact, mathematical arguments — the 
kind of evidence that will pass a judge in court. The 
minds of these men are clear, cold, logic engines. They 
are impressed only by facts and figures, and will do no 
business with salesmen who offer them anything else. 
The other class — of impulsive or emotional men — is 



446 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

amenable to heart-sway persuasion. You will not find 
it so necessary to convince their reasons. Give them 
the best evidence you have, but mix it with something 
more." 1 

The above is quoted in order to be contradicted. 
There are no men entirely above the appeal to emotion, 
though some yield more readily than others. Men 
differ greatly with regard to their intelligence and 
knowledge, but all men feel. The poor and the rich, 
the weak and the strong, the ignorant and the educated, 
all feel — all have emotions and all behave very much 
alike when confronted with instinctive appeals. Christ- 
mas, Easter, and Fourth of July arouse similar emotions 
in all. One's station in life does not affect the indigna- 
tion that arises when one is overcharged by a waiter. 

Lack of appreciation of this fact is one of the great 
causes for labor disturbances. Employers view their 
employees as inferiors and treat them accordingly. 
The resultant resentment shows itself in demands for 
union recognition, higher wages, etc. 

Salesmen must view prospects as alike with respect 
to their feelings. The negro laborer feels a slight as does 
the millionaire. Because of his position he may not 
show it so quickly, but he will not buy any more 
quickly than the millionaire. 

It is because of this universality of instinctive endow- 
ment that this volume has stressed the necessity of 
understanding instincts and of utilizing them in arous- 
ing interest and desire. Whereas men differ with regard 
to acquired interests, they differ hardly at all with 
respect to instinctive interests. 

l O. S. Marden, Selling Things, 1916, p. 250. Thomas Y. Crowcll 
Company. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 447 

SUMMARY 

Desire for insurance is the most important thing to 
create in selling insurance. And to create this desire 
is the hardest thing to accomplish. It does not come 
by way of reason. For many a man has been con- 
vinced he should take insurance, but never did it. And 
he did not take it because he didn't want it. 

To create desire the salesman must arouse the pros- 
pect through incitements of his instinctive desires, and 
he must lead the prospect to realize that taking insur- 
ance fits in with his deepest and most cherished long- 
ings, as, for example, to take care of and love his wife 
and children, to make good in the eyes of his friends 
and competitors. 

ASSIGNMENT TO BE PREPARED BEFORE READING 
THE NEXT LESSON 

Mrs. C. M. Lane received #5,000 insurance when her 
husband died three years ago. She leased a large house 
for five years and has invested the money in outfitting 
it as a boarding house. She is now doing very nicely, 
having the reputation of running the best place in 
town. As far as known, she carries no insurance. She 
is now about thirty-five years old. There are three 
small boys, four, six, and seven years old, and her 
mother, as dependents upon her. She is not known 
to have any relations except a brother living in Mexico. 

Determine the proposition you would submit to her 
and how you would attempt to arouse within her 
genuine desire for the policy. Outline in detail your 
program for accomplishing the latter. 



LESSON XXXI. CLOSING THE SALE— THE 
FIFTH TACTICAL STEP 

Preceding lessons have shown that if a man desires 
a commodity or service intensely enough, he will buy 
regardless of his convictions. If his desires are not so 
strong, he must in addition be convinced that it is a 
good proposition. This involves the presence of posi- 
tive reasons and the elimination of objections. If his 
desires are still weaker, he will not buy on the basis of 
his own initiative. In such cases the salesman must, 
figuratively speaking, give him a push. 

Life insurance is not a service that arouses a man's 
inmost desires as do autos, jewelry, and amusements. 
In consequence, it is very seldom that a prospect buys 
insurance merely because he wants it. A skillful sales- 
man, however, may sometimes sufficiently arouse the 
desires and establish the convictions of a prospect so 
that he will buy on his own initiative. When this has 
been accomplished, the salesman has a thoroughly satis- 
fied and enthusiastic customer, one who will be glad to 
aid him in getting more business. But in many cases 
the conflict between desires and convictions for and 
against insurance is so close within the mind of the 
prospect that he would procrastinate for a long time 
if it were not for the push of the salesman. In such 
cases, if the prospect really favors buying, he does not 
resent the salesman's push. But if he is pushed into 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 449 

buying when he does not want the service, he will 
"wake up" shortly after and either repudiate the 
agreement or "lay for" the salesman. In consequence, 
aside from the ethics of the matter, a salesman inter- 
ested in repeat orders should refrain from forcing an 
uninterested buyer. 

The nature of a decision. One may have deliberated 
for days, may have, in fact, agonized over a contem- 
plated move, and all of a sudden have decided what to 
do. Or a proposition may have been accepted or re- 
jected immediately following its presentation. In 
either case, as we review the matter afterward, we are 
impressed with the suddenness of the decision. And 
furthermore, we are convinced that the decision could 
not have been made prior to the time at which it was 
made. In consequence, there has arisen the theory of 
a psychological moment, a. point in the sales interview 
when the salesman must close. According to this view, 
attempts before that moment would be futile, and neglect 
to seize upon it when it arises would spell failure. 

There is much truth in this view. In fact, a decision 
is essentially the settling of an internal squabble. And 
once the treaty is signed, one hates to start hostilities 
again. 

As we read most of the literature on this subject and 
listen to most of the speeches of salesmen concerning 
closing at the psychological moment, we see that the 
current view is that a salesman should keep on pre- 
senting his proposition until the psychological moment 
arrives, and then instantly close. The chief problem, 
then, would be in recognizing that all-important 
moment. 



450 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Really the problem is much deeper. It actually in- 
volves developing the psychological moment. For, 
although a decision may be made suddenly, it is the 
resultant of certain processes which require time in 
which to develop. It is "as if a man should cast seed 
into the ground, and should sleep, and rise night and 
day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he know- 
eth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of 
herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the 
full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought 
forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the 
harvest is come." 

The salesman must plant the seed (the proposition) 
in the mind of the prospect and water it with reasons 
and incitements until the prospect's interest has grown 
up and ripened into desire. During this time the com- 
petition of weeds (objections) must be eliminated. 
Finally, when the fruit is ripe (prospect is convinced 
and impelled) the salesman should reap his reward and 
close the sale. But he closes because the seed he planted 
has grown to fruition, not because some mysterious 
moment has happened to come along. 

PRELIMINARY TACTICS PREPARING THE WAY FOR FINAL 
ACCEPTANCE 

The final act in a sale is the writing by the prospect 
of his name on the dotted line. This is a motor per- 
formance involving the use of his hand and arm, and 
it necessitates the releasing of energy which has up to 
this point been held in restraint. If, during the inter- 
view, the prospect has been frequently releasing energy 
at the behest of the salesman, the final act will be per- 









SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 451 

formed just that much easier. In consequence, the 
salesman should strive during the entire interview to 
secure as many verbal acceptances to his remarks as 
possible, and also as many motor performances of any 
sort as he is able to bring about. 

Run through at this point the sales interview be- 
tween Bagley and Barnes, and note how many times 
Barnes was forced to say "Yes," or its equivalent. 
Note also how, after Harrington had finally brought 
Alderson to see that his proposition did involve a 
guarantee of principal and interest (lines 174-199), 
that Alderson was again and again led to say "Yes," or 
its equivalent, in preparation for the final acceptance 
of the proposition. 

In the same way, every little service that can be 
obtained from the prospect, such as bringing up a chair 
or supplying paper, or picking up a book, is of service 
in starting him to move, in taking the brakes ofF his 
restraint. A simple illustration may make the point 
clearer. One evening at home there was not enough 
meat to give everyone a second helping. In conse- 
quence my wife refused any more, although I was sure 
she wanted it more than the children. After a short 
argument in which I was worsted I decided to use a 
little psychology to gain my point. I thereupon asked 
her to fill my glass with water, and, as she handed back 
the glass, said, with some emphasis, "Now pass your 
plate." Not until I had it in my hand did she realize 
what she had done. Filling my glass — an act at my 
request — diverted her mind and eliminated the estab- 
lished restraint. Before it could be re-established she 

had done what I wanted. 
30 



452 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

And just for this reason the salesman should, as far 
as possible, prevent the prospect from saying "No," 
or its equivalent, to anything he has to say. This is why 
such questions as, "Do you carry insurance?" (when it 
is known he doesn't), "Don't you think you need more 
insurance?" are so disastrous. In this connection, note 
how the emphatic denunciation of Alderson — "I don't 
need any; don't want any; am not going to buy any" 
(lines 88-89, Lesson II) — colored the interview up to 
about line 228, where he admitted he hadn't any 
objections to life insurance. And note how ably Har- 
rington took occasion to stamp in the admission, 
thereby still further eliminating the previous refusal, 
when he said, "Well, I'm glad to hear you say that you 
believe in life insurance, Mr. Alderson. I really felt 
sure you did. In fact, practically everybody does these 
days. Now Mr. Roosevelt" (pointing to his picture 
on the wall) "was well insured." 

Frankly, these preliminary tactics do not amount to 
much in themselves, but they make it easier to close, 
and in a very closely contested struggle may make just 
the difference between success and failure. They also 
make it possible to determine what is going on in the 
mind of the prospect — to feel him out. 

ACTUAL TACTICS OF CLOSING 

"Just go back to the days of the big circus in the 
small town and recall to your mind how crowds were 
drawn into the side show. A 'barker' pictured all the 
wonderful things to be seen until he had you pretty 
well worked up; but if he had simply ended his talk 
and waited for the crowd to start in, the audience 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 453 

would have been slim. Those old circus men were good 
'closers/ When the barker had said his whole say, he 
wound up with: 'The show is just starting. Step up 
lively. Here, don't push, there; there's room for all. 
Come right along.' And all at once there came a push- 
ing from the back — people were crowding you on. You 
thought they were people like yourself, going in to see 
the show. But they were the 'ringers' — they were 
around the edge of the crowd, waiting for the signal to 
start closing in — crowding the folks on toward the ticket 
stand. And you moved along. 

"It was easier to go forward than back — and that 
little push at the right moment settled your hesitation 
and you went in. It 'closed' you, by putting pressure 
on you that would bring your weakness, or disinclina- 
tion to resist, into play. 

"Now when you are laying out your methods for 
closing, just keep that circus picture in mind. 

"Arouse all the motives for buying you can in your 
canvass; work your prospect up to being willing to buy, 
then start quietly, politely, pushing. 

"Make it harder for him to go backward and turn you 
down than it is to go forward and order, 

"That's the secret of the successful 'close.'" 1 

This quotation illustrates the three principal ele- 
ments in closing — i.e., (1) summarize your argument, 
and particularly your incitements, (2) corner the pros- 
pect so that it is easier for him to go ahead than not, 
and (3) give him a push. 

Summarize your reasons and particularly your in- 
citements. If the prospect's objections have been pre- 

1 H. Watson, Knack of Selling, 1913, Book iii, pp. 3, 4. 



454 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

viously eliminated, your reasons need only be outlined 
in order that the full force of your entire argument shall 
now be before him. If, on the other hand, you feel that 
he still clings to certain objections and that they cannot 
be ignored, a frank recognition of the fact is best car- 
ried on in this way. Group all his objections under one 
or at most two headings, and then set over against 
them your best reasons for taking the policy. (But do 
not give rebuttals to the objections — the time has 
passed for discussing them.) In this way you picture 
to him one or two reasons against, and many reasons 
for, taking the policy. (See Lessons XXVIII and 
XXIX for further discussion on this point.) 

The summary you thus give simply repeats the points 
already made. And these points you have endeavored 
to develop out of the prospect's past experiences and 
strongest interests. Now at the point of stirring him 
to action it is well to picture the reverse side — to assume 
for a moment that he can't get the insurance — to make 
him contrast having the policy and its protection and 
not having it. In other words, he has gradually been 
led to imagine having the advantages of the insurance 
policy; he has almost come to assume he has them 
already while you are talking. Now take them away 
and let him feel their loss. That helps him to realize 
how much he values them. And it also arouses his 
fighting instinct. All of us want a thing others tell us 
we can't have. This can be accomplished by hinting 
at his inability to pass the physical examination; or 
by telling how some friend failed to take such a policy, 
with the result that his family is now suffering because 
of the lack of sufficient income; or even by openly say- 






SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 455 

ing: "We have looked at this proposition from one 
side, possibly you think my side, of the case. Out of 
fairness to you, let us look at it from the other side. 
Suppose, Mr. Prospect, you don't take the policy. 
Then when you die your family will have for an income 
but 5 per cent or 6 per cent of what you have saved. 

I don't know what that is. But you do. Is it enough? 
Will they go on living as they now are? Will your wife 
be taken care of as you desire? Will your daughter 
have to go to work and not to college ? Even if you 
don't take the policy, I most sincerely hope, of course, 
that you will live to a good old age and that none of 
these things will happen to your loved ones. But can 
you afford to take the chance? Won't you be ever so 
much happier in knowing it is all settled than in think- 
ing frequently about the risk you are running?" 

Also, summarize your incitements, presenting them 
as forcefully and directly as you can. Whereas at the 
beginning you covered up your appeals to his feelings, 
now make him realize their full force. He will not resent 
this now, provided he was really affected during the 
earlier stages of the interview. 

This manner of closing is well illustrated in the 
Bagley-Barnes interview (Lesson I, lines 155-176) 
where the summary is followed by Barnes's statement 
that "that is a fine proposition," etc. The remainder 
of the interview is devoted to minor details. The 
Harrington-Alderson interview is similarly a good 
-example of this type of a close. Lines 240-328 in Lesson 

II result in Alderson admitting that the plan is interest- 
ing. A shorter summary a few minutes later devoted 
only to incitements (lines 370-387) clinches the sale. 



456 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Corner the prospect so that it is easier to go ahead 
than not. In this type of close we put up to the pros- 
pect a choice between taking the policy and being true 
to his inner desires and convictions, or not taking the 
policy and denying these cherished beliefs of his. And 
it is also so handled that not taking the policy will 
involve the scorn of the salesman and of the prospect 
himself. 

This type of close is illustrated in the Brown-Hartley 
interview (Lesson XXV, lines 230-243). Brown seizes 
upon Hartley's remark, "I'll take my chances on that," 
by saying, "It's your wife's chances you take, not 
your own. There are thousands of widows working 
hard to make a bare existence, who are living examples 
of 'he took a chance — my chance.' No, Mr. Hartley, 
if you need insurance you need it now more than later." 
This type is also exemplified in the Redding-Burton 
interview (Lesson XXIII), where, when Burton states: 
"That's all true. It looks like a good proposition, but 
I have all the insurance I can afford to carry," Redding 
asks how much he is carrying. When told "$5,000" 
Redding shows how inadequate it is for Burton's 
needs. When Redding has finished Burton has only 
two alternatives — either to take the policy or to affirm 
the income from $5,000 will support his family. The 
latter he cannot do, and in consequence he has to take 
the insurance or appear in a very ignoble light to 
Redding and to himself. 

In Lesson VIII is related a rather daring use of this 
method in closing. Harvey had for some time solicited 
a friend who had always agreed that the proposition 
was a good one, but insisted he didn't want to take the 






SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 457 

policy just then. Walking into the prospect's office 
one day, he found a mutual friend there. When oppor- 
tunity arose he drew the friend aside and in a whisper 
designedly loud enough to be heard by the prospect 
said, "Is Al a damn liar or just a procrastinator?" 
Action followed quick and fast, but when the smoke 
had died away Al, the prospect, laughed and said, 
"All right, give me the application, I'll sign it." Not 
to sign meant he would be classified by both visitors 
either as a liar or procrastinator. 

A somewhat similar case was related the other day 
by a salesman who had solicited a cashier of a bank for 
many months. On hearing again the usual excuses to 
postpone action until January, 1920, the salesman asked 
for a piece of paper. Upon it he wrote, "I promise to 
be alive and in good health on January 3, 1920." Then 
he handed this to the cashier and said, "Please sign 
this so that my conscience will be clear in the mean- 
time/' 

A prospect may, then, be led to decide by putting 
before him an alternative in which he must deny his 
own desires and convictions or else take the policy. If 
he is convinced that the proposition is a good one and 
that he needs it, such a device is very likely to succeed. 

Give the prospect a " push." At the beginning of 
this lesson it was pointed out that few prospects are 
"sold" so completely that they exclaim, "I'll take it." 
In most cases the conflict between convictions and 
motivated desires for insurance, on the one side, and 
inertia and desires to use the money for pleasure on 
the other side, is so close that the prospect cannot de- 
cide for himself. Or he will reach a decision only after 



458 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

a long struggle. It is in these cases that the salesman 
adds a little to the positive side of the equation — i.e., 
"gives the prospect a push." 

And now what is meant by "giving a push "? Really 
any act of the salesman that starts the prospect moving 
can be called a "push." Two aspects of this important 
phase of selling are apparent. In the first case the 
prospect is aroused to action largely on the basis of 
emotions; in the second case he is aroused much more 
on the basis of intellectual processes. Let us consider 
these two in detail. 

When the horse reaches the fence he may jump right 
over or he may balk at the last minute. A good rider 
can usually get him over in any case. And a good sales- 
man can usually give just the right little "push" at the 
last minute to close the sale. What is meant when one 
speaks of a man as a "born salesman" is that he has 
such a personality that he easily gets others to do as he 
likes. (Review here Lesson X on the instincts of lead- 
ership and of following a leader.) Such salesmen close 
many a sale because of their enthusiasm, determina- 
tion, and earnestness. Though all salesmen may not 
have such personalities naturally, practically all may 
learn to give a little shove at the right minute. 

Collins sold Hudson in this way (Lesson XVI). He 
first eliminated the best objection Hudson could give 
and then drove right ahead, practically ignoring Hud- 
son's excuses. This element is also a factor in the cases 
of Brown and Hartley (Lesson XXV). 

But the "push" may be mainly an intellectual 
matter, not involving so much the personality of the 
salesman. In this case a decision is reached on some 






SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 459 

unimportant point. The book agent asks you which 
binding you prefer. He does not ask if you want the 
book. But once you are committed to one of the 
three bindings, it is much easier to get you to sign. 

"Rarely/* writes Manning, "have I ever asked a 
man if he will take the insurance. Several methods I 
have used have been successful. 

"Reading the favorable consideration in the pros- 
pect's eyes I said, 'You wish this made payable to your 
wife, of course, don't you, Mr. Blank?' 'Yes,' he 
answered. 'What is her full name?' I then continued 
to fill out the application. 

"Sensing that it was time to close the sale, I said, 
'By the way, what time do you go out to lunch, Mr. 
Blank?' 'About one o'clock,' he answered. 'I'd like 
to have you meet our Doctor Townsend for a few min- 
utes just to have his favorable opinion of you as a good 
risk for insurance.' Rising, I said: 'I'll be in again at 
about ten minutes of one and we'll go out to lunch 
together, and then we will have the doctor look you 
over.' 'All right,' he replied, and the sale was made." 1 

Such tactics are based on what is called implied con- 
sent. The prospect has not expressed his desire for the 
policy, but the salesman judges he is very favorably 
disposed, though not sufficiently so to come out in the 
open and admit it. Consequently, he assumes the 
decision has been made and obtains favorable decisions 
on minor points which ordinarily would not be con- 
sidered until after the main proposition had been 
O.K'd. 



1 E. G. Manning, The Manning System of Selling Life Insurance, 1919, 
p. 31. 



460 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Sales literature is full of stunts to use in getting the 
prospect actually to sign after the application is filled 
in. For example, if the prospect wavers after the pen 
has been put in his hand, the salesman is taught to say, 
"Oh, just a moment; let me have the pen," then giv- 
ing it a jerk to start the ink flowing, he returns it with 
the remark, "Now it will write." 

These devices are further illustrations of the point 
made above that the salesman must strive throughout 
the interview to secure as many verbal acceptances 
and favorable acts as possible because each makes the 
final act a little easier. 

PROPER TACTICS WHEN THE FIRST ATTEMPT TO CLOSE 
HAS FAILED 

If the prospect refuses to sign, it is indicative of his 
lack of conviction or lack of desire for the insurance. 
One of the best methods to handle him after he has 
been openly urged to sign is to review the entire argu- 
ment, but to do so by asking one question after another, 
so worded as to receive an affirmative reply. In this 
way the salesman obtains the prospect's agreement to 
his argument or locates the troublesome points, if any 
still lurk in the prospect's mind. These can then be 
eliminated. After the salesman has assured himself 
that the prospect intellectually supports the desir- 
ability of the proposition, he should again summarize 
the incitements and add new ones, if possible, and then 
proceed to close again. This is an excellent time to use 
the method of cornering him with an alternative propo- 
sition whereby he must sign or else deny statements 
to which he has already agreed. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 461 

Compromises. A valuable device to use in such 
cases is to offer some compromise so that the prospect 
does not feel the sting of defeat in the struggle that has 
taken place. Herein lies one of the main reasons that 
so many salesmen are able to obtain an appointment 
for the doctor to call, but cannot secure complete 
acceptance of the proposition. (See the interview 
between Brown and Hartley, Lesson XXV.) 

Another seeming compromise is to call attention to 
the fact that there are annual dividends, and that they 
steadily cut down the cost each year. This point is 
often very effective in securing acceptance, and oper- 
ates psychologically in the same way that an unexpected 
reduction in the cost of an article in a store does. The 
buyer feels he has won a victory and can and does over- 
look the greater defeat. 

The same sort of thing can be accomplished in 
another way. In summing up your case, grant that 
the prospect was correct in as many points he has 
maintained as possible. Make him feel you have been 
converted to his way of thinking. He can surrender 
on the one important point much more easily since he 
has won in several others. 



HANDLING A PROSPECT WHO CHANGES HIS MIND 

Occasionally a prospect "changes his mind ,, either 
before or after signing the application. This may be 
due to the fact that he was "pushed" into making a 
favorable decision, and after "cooling down" he has 
seen the matter in a different light. Or it may be due 
to further consideration, in the course of which new 



462 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

facts came to mind and new objections have arisen. 
Whatever the explanation, it is certain that his desires 
are largely neutral or against taking the insurance. 

The salesman, on calling, should endeavor to ascer- 
tain the objections in order to overcome them. And 
he should further plan to incite the prospect as strongly 
as possible. On such a call, the salesman has an un- 
usual advantage over the ordinary interview in that the 
prospect has gone back on his word and because of this 
will be particularly anxious to appease the salesman. 
Because of this attitude of the prospect the salesman 
can ask him point-blank questions as to his refusal to 
buy. And he can also present his reasons and incite- 
ments in a more direct manner than usual. 

In a number of cases which have fallen under the 
writer's observation, the change of mind has been due 
not so much to the above conditions as to the fact that 
the prospect has been argued out of the deal by his wife 
or some friend. In these cases, the objections of the 
prospect need to be answered very clearly because they 
are largely the objections that the wife or friend raised 
which he was unable to answer. He must be equipped 
with ammunition to defend his action before them. 



SUMMARY 

Decision often occurs in a moment. But preparation 
for the decision may require hours, weeks, even months. 
In selling, every part of the sales interview should be 
viewed as preparatory to obtaining the desired deci- 
sion. In consequence, the prospect should be led to say 
"Yes," or its equivalent, many times during the inter- 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 463 

view. And he should be encouraged to perform acts 
of any sort for the salesman. And for the same reason, 
he should be prevented from saying "No." 

When the prospect seems to be possessed of those 
convictions you deem are necessary before he will buy, 
the entire argument should be summarized, also the 
incitements used during the sale, and he should then 
be called upon to write his name on the dotted line. 
The final act may be facilitated by a "push." If he still 
hesitates, "corner" him with an alternative whereby 
he must deny beliefs already affirmed or else buy, 

FINAL ASSIGNMENT 

Call to mind the last interview in which you at- 
tempted to close but failed. Carefully analyze the 
causes for your failure. 

Was your lack of success due (a) to failure to establish 
the necessary convictions and to arouse the necessary 
impulses, or (b) to inadequate leading up to the close, 
or (c) to using the wrong tactics in closing ? 

In a similar way analyze the last interview in which 
you successfully closed. 



APPENDIX 

The following story by Booth Tarkington should be 
read as part of Lesson V. It affords excellent concrete 
material through which certain psychological terms 
can be illustrated; terms such as, "situation," "re- 
sponse," "instinct," "emotion," and "readiness." But 
more important still, it enables the reader to feel these 
terms as well as understand them. For it is not enough 
to understand; one must feel, if one would use these 
principles in selling. 

WEDNESDAY MADNESS 1 

To Penrod, school was merely a state of confinement, envenomed 
by mathematics. For interminable periods he was forced to listen 
to information concerning matters about which he had no curiosity 
whatever; and he had to read over and over the dullest passages 
in books that bored him into stupors, while always there overhung 5 
the preposterous task of improvising plausible evasions to conceal 
the fact that he did not know what he had no wish to know. Like- 
wise, he must always be prepared to avoid incriminating replies to 
questions which he felt nobody had a real and natural right to ask 
him. And when his gorge rose and his inwards revolted, the hours 10 
became a series of ignoble misadventures and petty disgraces, strik- 
ingly lacking in privacy. 

It was usually upon Wednesdays that his sufferings culminated; 
the nervous strength accumulated during the holiday hours at the 

1 Booth Tarkington, Penrod and Sam, 1916, chaps, xvi and xvii. Used by 
special permission. Several sentences and paragraphs have been deleted, as 
they were not essential for our purposes here. 



4 66 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

end of the week would carry him through Monday and Tuesday, 15 
but by Wednesday it seemed ultimately proven that the next Sat- 
urday actually never was coming, "this time," and the strained 
spirit gave way. Wednesday was the day averaging highest in 
Penrod's list of absences, but the time came when he felt that the 
advantages attendant upon his Wednesday "sick headache" did 20 
not compensate for its inconvenience. 

For one thing, this illness had become so symmetrically recur- 
rent that even the cook felt that he was pushing it too far, and the 
liveliness of her expression, when he was able to leave his couch 
and take the air in the back yard at about ten o'clock, became more 25 
disagreeable to him with each convalescence. There visibly in- 
creased, too, about the whole household, an atmosphere of uncon- 
geniality and suspicion so pronounced that every successive illness 
was necessarily more severe, and at last the patient felt obliged to 
remain bedded until almost eleven, from time to time giving forth 30 
little sounds eloquent of anguish triumphing over stoic endurance, 
yet lacking a certain conviction of utterance. 

Finally, his father enacted, and his mother applied, a new and 
distinctly special bit of legislation, explaining it with simple candor 
to the prospective beneficiary. 35 

"Whenever you really are sick," they said, "you can go out and 
play as soon as you're well — that is, if it happens on Saturday. 
But when you're sick on a school day, you'll stay in bed till the 
next morning. This is going to do you good, Penrod." 

After the promulgation of that parental edict, "You'll stay in 40 
bed till the next morning," four weeks went by unflawed by a single 
absence from the field of duty, but when the fifth Wednesday came 
Penrod held sore debate within himself before he finally rose. In 
fact, after rising, and while actually engaged with his toilet, he 
tentatively emitted a series of the little groans which were his 45 
wonted preliminary to a quiet holiday at home; and the sounds 
were heard (as intended) by Mr. Schofield, who was passing Pen- 
rod's door on his way to breakfast. 

"All right," said the father, making use of peculiar and unneces- 
sary emphasis. "Stay in bed till to-morrow morning. Castor-oil, 50 
this time, too." 

Penrod had not hoped much for his experiment; nevertheless, 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 467 

his rebellious blood was sensibly inflamed by the failure, and he 
accomplished his dressing with a low murmuring — apparently a 
bitter dialogue between himself and some unknown but powerful 55 
patron. 

Thus he muttered: 

"Well, they betterno/." "Well, what can I do about it ?" "Well, 
Td show 'em." "Well, I will show 'em/' "Well, you ought to 
show 'em, that's the way I do! I just shake 'em around, and say: 60 
'Here! I guess you don't know who you're talking to, that way! 
You better look out!'" "Well, that's the way Vm goin' to do." 
"Well, go on and do it, then." "Well, I am goin' " 

The door of the next room was slightly ajar; now it swung wide, 
and Margaret, his nineteen-year-old sister, appeared. 65 

"Penrod, what on earth are you talking about?" 

"Nothin'. None o' your — " 

"Well, hurry to breakfast, then; it's getting late." 

Lightly she went, humming a tune, leaving the door of her room 
open; and the eyes of Penrod, as he donned his jacket, chanced to 70 
fall upon her desk, where she had thoughtlessly left a letter — a 
private missive just begun, and intended solely for the eyes of Mr. 
Robert Williams, a senior at a far university. 

In such a fashion is coincidence the architect of misfortune. 
Penrod's class in English composition had been instructed, the 7* 
previous day, to concoct at home and bring to class on Wednesday 
morning a "model letter to a friend on some subject of general in- 
terest." Penalty for omission to perform this simple task was defi- 
nite; whosoever brought no letter would inevitably be "kept in" 
after school, that afternoon, until the letter was written, and it to 
was precisely a premonition of this misfortune which had prompted 
Penrod to attempt his experimental moaning upon his father, for, 
alas! he had equipped himself with no model letter, nor any letter 
whatever. 

In stress of this kind, a boy's creed is that anything is worth a 85 

try; but his eye for details is poor. He sees the future too sweep- 

ingly and too much as he would have it, seldom providing against 

inconsistencies of evidence which may damage him. 

So with Penrod. He had vital need of a letter, and there, before 
31 



468 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

his eyes, upon Margaret's desk, was apparently the precise thing 00 
he needed. 

From below rose the voice of his mother urging him to the break- 
fast table, warning him that he stood in danger of tardiness at 
school; he was pressed for time, and acted upon an inspiration 
which failed to prompt him even to read the letter. 95 

Hurriedly he wrote "Dear friend" at the top of the page Mar- 
garet had partially filled. Then he signed himself, "Yours re- 
spectfully, Penrod Schofield" at the bottom, and enclosed the 
missive within a battered volume entitled Principles of English 
Composition. With that and other books compacted by a strap, 100 
he descended to a breakfast somewhat oppressive but undarkened 
by any misgivings concerning a "letter to a friend on some subject 
of general interest." He felt that a difficulty had been encountered 
and satisfactorily disposed of; the matter could now be dismissed 
from his mind. He had plenty of other difficulties to take its place. 105 

No; he had no misgivings, nor was he assailed by anything un- 
pleasant in that line, even when the hour struck for the class in 
English composition. If he had been two or three years older, ex- 
perience might have warned him to take at least the precaution of 
copying his offering, so that it would appear in his own handwriting 110 
when he "handed it in," but Penrod had not even glanced at it. 

"I think," said Miss Spence, "I will ask several of you to read 
your letters aloud before you hand them in. Clara Raypole, you 
may read yours." 

Penrod was bored but otherwise comfortable; he had no ap- 115 
prehension that he might be included in the "several," especially 
as Miss Spence's beginning with Clara Raypole, a star performer, 
indicated that her selection of readers would be made from the 
conscientious and proficient divisions at the head of the class. He 
listened stoically to the beginning of the first letter, though he was 120 
conscious of a dull resentment, inspired mainly by the perfect com- 
placency of Miss Raypole' s voice. 

"'Dear Cousin Sadie,'" she began smoothly, "'I thought I 
would write you to-day on some subject of general interest, and 
so I thought I would tell you about the subject of our courthouse. 125 
It is a very fine building situated in the center of the city, and a 
visit to the building after school hours well repays for the visit. 






SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 469 

Upon entrance we find upon our left the office of the county clerk, 
and upon our right a number of windows affording a view of the 
street. And so we proceed, finding on both sides much of general 130 
interest. The building was begun in a.d. 1886, and it was through 
in a.d. 1887. It is four stories high and made of stone, pressed 
brick, wood, and tiles, with a tower, or cupola, one hundred and 
twenty-seven feet seven inches from the ground/ " 

Penrod was unable to fix his attention upon these statistics; he 135 
began moodily to twist a button of his jacket and to concentrate a 
new-born and obscure but lasting hatred upon the courthouse. 
Miss Raypole's glib voice continued to press upon his ears, but 
by keeping his eyes fixed upon the twisting button he had accom- 
plished a kind of self-hypnosis, or mental anaesthesia, and was but 140 
dimly aware of what went on about him. 

The courthouse was finally exhausted by its visitor, who resumed 
her seat and submitted with beamish grace to praise. Then Miss 
Spence said, in a favorable manner: 

"George Bassett, you may read your letter next." 145 

The neat Georgie rose, nothing loath, and began: "'Dear 
Teacher— '" 

There was a slight titter, which Miss Spence suppressed. Georgie 
was not at all discomfited. 

"'My mother says/" he continued, reading his manuscript, 150 
"'we should treat our teacher as a friend, and so / will write you 
a letter/" 

This penetrated Penrod's trance, and he lifted his eyes to fix 
them upon the back of Georgie Bassett's head in a long and in- 
scrutable stare. It was inscrutable, and yet if Georgie had been 155 
sensible to thought waves, it is probable he would have uttered a 
loud shriek, but he remained placidly unaware, continuing: 

"'I thought I would write you about a subject of general interest, 
and so I will write you about the flowers. There are many kinds 
of flowers, spring flowers and summer flowers and autumn flowers, 160 
but no winter flowers. . . / " 

Penrod's gaze had relaxed, dropped to his button again, and his 
lethargy was renewed. The outer world grew vaguer; voices 
seemed to drone at a distance; sluggish time passed heavily — but 
•ome of it did pais. 105 



470 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

"Penrod!" 

Miss Spence's searching eye had taken note of the bent head and 
the twisting button. She found it necessary to speak again. 

"Penrod Schofield!" 

He came languidly to life. 170 

"Ma'am?" 

"You may read your letter." 

"Yes'm." 

And he began to paw clumsily among his books, whereupon Miss 
Spence's glance fired with suspicion. 175 

"Have you prepared one?" she demanded. 

"Yes'm," said Penrod dreamily. 

"But you're going to find you forgot to bring it, aren't you?" 

"I got it," said Penrod, discovering the paper in his Principles 
of English Composition. iao 

"Well, we'll listen to what you've found time to prepare," she 
said, adding coldly, "for once." 

The frankest pessimism concerning Penrod permeated the whole 
room; even the eyes of those whose letters had not met with favor 
turned upon him with obvious assurance that here was every pros- iaa 
pect of a performance which would, by comparison, lend a measure 
of credit to the worst preceding it. But Penrod was unaffected by 
the general gaze; he rose, still blinking from his lethargy, and in 
no true sense wholly alive. 

He had one idea; to read as rapidly as possible, so as to be done 190 
with the task, and he began in a high-pitched monotone, reading 
with a blind mind and no sense of the significance of the words. 

"'Dear friend,'" he declaimed. "'You call me beautiful, but 
I am not really beautiful, and there are times when I doubt if I am 
even pretty, though perhaps my hair is beautiful, and if it is true li 
that my eyes are like blue stars in heaven — '" 

Simultaneously he lost his breath and there burst upon him a 
perception of the results to which he was being committed by this 
calamitous reading. And also simultaneous was the outbreak of 
the class into cachinnations of delight, severely repressed by the 200 
perplexed but indignant Miss Spence. 

"Go on!" she commanded grimly, when she had restored order. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 471 

"Ma'am?" he gulped, looking wretchedly upon the rosy faces 
all about him. 

"Go on with the description of yourself," she said. "We'd like 205 
to hear more about your eyes being like blue stars in heaven." 

Here many of Penrod's little comrades were forced to clasp their 
faces tightly in both hands; and his dismayed gaze, in refuge, sought 
the treacherous paper in his hand. 

What it beheld there was horrible. 210 

"Proceed!" said Miss Spence. 

"'I — often think — '" he faltered, "'and a-a tree-mor thu-thrills 
my bein' when I recall your last words to me that last — that 
last—'" 

"Goon!" 215 

"'That last evening in the moonlight when you — you — you — '" 

"Penrod," Miss Spence said dangerously, "you go on, and stop 
that stammering." 

" ' You — you said you would wait for — for years to — to— to — '" 

"Penrod!" 220 

"'To win me!'" the miserable Penrod managed to gasp. "'I 
should not have pre — premitted — permitted you to speak so until 
we have our — our parents' consent; but oh, how sweet it — '" He 
exhaled a sigh of agony, and then concluded briskly, "'Yours 
respectfully, Penrod Schofield."' 225 

But Miss Spence had at last divined something, for she knew the 
Schofield family. 

"Bring me that letter!" she said. 

And the scarlet boy passed forward between rows of mystified 
but immoderately uplifted children. 230 

Miss Spence herself grew rather pink as she examined the mis- 
sive, and the intensity with which she afterward extended her ex- 
amination to cover the complete field of Penrod Schofield caused 
him to find a remote center of interest whereon to rest his embar- 
rassed gaze. She let him stand before her throughout the silence, 235 
equaled, perhaps, by the tenser pauses during trials for murder, 
and then, containing herself, she sweepingly gestured him to the 
pillory — a chair upon the platform, facing the school. 

Here he suffered for the unusual term of an hour, with many 
jocular and cunning eyes constantly upon him; and, when he was 240 



. 



472 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

released at noon, horrid shouts and shrieks pursued him every step 
of his homeward way. For his laughter-loving little schoolmates 
spared him not — neither boy nor girl. 

"Yay, Penrod!" they shouted. "How's your beautiful hair?" 
And, "Hi, Penrod! When you goin' to get your parents' consent?" 245 
And, "Say, Penrod, how's your tree-mores?" "Does your tree- 
mores thrill your bein', Penrod?" And many other facetious 
inquiries, hard to bear in public. 

And when he reached the temporary shelter of his home, he ex- 
perienced no relief upon finding that Margaret was out for lunch. 250 
He was as deeply embittered toward her as toward any other, and 
considering her largely responsible for his misfortune, he would 
have welcomed an opportunity to show her what he thought of her. 

How long he was "kept in" after school that afternoon is not a 
matter of record, but it was long. Before he finally appeared upon 
the street, he had composed an ample letter on a subject of general 
interest, namely "School Life," under the supervision of Miss 
Spence; he had also received some scorching admonitions in respect 
to honorable behavior regarding other people's letters; and Mar- 
garet's had been returned to him with severe instructions to bear 280 
it straight to the original owner accompanied by full confession and 
apology. As a measure of insurance that these things be done, Miss 
Spence stated definitely her intention to hold a conversation by 
telephone with Margaret that evening. Altogether, the day had 
been unusually awful, even for Wednesday, and Penrod left the 
schoolhouse with the heart of an anarchist throbbing in his hot 
bosom. It were more accurate, indeed, to liken him to the anar- 
chist's characteristic weapon; for, as Penrod came out to the street 
he was, in all inward respects, a bomb, loaded and ticking. 

He walked moodily, with a visible aspect of soreness. A 
murmurous sound was thick about his head, wherefore it is to be 
surmised that he communed with his familiar, and one vehement, 
oft-repeated phrase beat like a tocsin of revolt upon the air: 
"Dawgone 'em!" 

He meant everybody — the universe. 

Particularly included, evidently, was a sparrow, offensively 
cheerful upon a lamp post. This self-centered little bird allowed a 
pebble to pass overhead and remained unconcerned, but a moment 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 473 

later, feeling a jar beneath his feet and hearing the tinkle of falling 
glass, he decided to leave. Similarly, and at the same instant, Pen- 280 
rod made the same decision, and the sparrow in flight took note of 
a boy likewise in flight. 

The boy disappeared in the nearest alley and emerged therefrom 
breathless, in the peaceful vicinity of his own home. He entered 
the house, clumped upstairs and down, discovered Margaret read- 285 
ing a book in the library, and flung the accursed letter toward her 
with loathing. 

"You can take the old thing," he said bitterly. "/ don't 
want it!" 

And before she was able to reply, he was out of the room. The 290 
next moment he was out of the house. 

"Daw-gon^ 'em!" he said. 

And then, across the street, his soured eyes fell upon his true 
comrade and best friend, Sam Williams, leaning against a picket 
fence and holding desultory converse with Mabel Rorebeck, an 295 
attractive member of the Friday-afternoon Dancing Class, that 
hated organization of which Sam and Penrod were both members. 
Mabel was a shy little girl, but Penrod had a vague understanding 
that Sam considered her two brown pigtails beautiful. 

Howbeit, Sam had never told his love; he was, in fact, sensitive 300 
about it. This meeting with the lady was by chance, and although 
it afforded exquisite moments, his heart was beating in an unaccus- 
tomed manner, and he was suffering from embarrassment, being at 
a loss also for subjects of conversation. It is, indeed, no easy matter 
to chat easily with a person, however lovely and beloved, who keeps 305 
her face turned the other way, maintains one foot in rapid and 
continuous motion through an arc seemingly perilous to her equi- 
librium, and confides her responses, both affirmative and negative, 
to "U-huh." 

Altogether, Sam was sufficiently nervous without any help from 310 
Penrod, and it was with pure horror that he heard his own 
name and Mabel's shrieked upon the ambient air with viperish 
insinuation. 

"Sam-my and May-bul! Oh, oh!" 

Sam started violently. Mabel ceased to swing her foot, and 315 
both, encarnadined, looked up and down and everywhere for the 



474 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

invisible but well-known owner of that voice. It came again, in 
taunting mockery. 

"Sammy's mad, and I am glad, aao 

And I know what will please him; 
A bottle o' wine to make him shine, 
And Mabel Rorebeck to squeeze him!" 

"Fresh ole thing!" said Miss Rorebeck, becoming articulate. 323 
And, unreasonably including Sam in her indignation, she tossed 
her head at him with an unmistakable effect of scorn. She began 
to walk away. 

"Well, Mabel," said Sam plaintively, following, "it ain't my 
fault. / didn't do anything. It's Penrod." 830 

"I don't care — " she began pettishly, when the viperish voice was 
again lifted. 

"Oh, oh, oh! 
Who's your beau? 

Guess / know: 335 

Mabel and Sammy, oh, oh, oh! 
/ caught you!" 

Then Mabel did one of those things which eternally perplex the 
slower sex. She deliberately made a face, not at the tree behind 
which Penrod was lurking, but at the innocent and heart-wrung 340 
Sam. "You needn't come limpin' after m/, Sam Williams," she 
said, though Sam was approaching upon two perfectly sound legs. 
And then she ran away at the top of her speed. 

"Run, nigger, run — " Penrod began inexcusably. But Sam 
cut the persecutions short at this point. Stung to fury, he charged 3« 
upon the sheltering tree in the Schofields' yard. 

Ordinarily, at such a juncture, Penrod would have fled, keeping 
his own temper and increasing the heat of his pursuer's by back- 
flung jeers. But this was Wednesday, and he was in no mood to run 
from Sam. He stepped away from the tree, awaiting the onset. 350 

"Well, what you goin' to do so much?" he said. 

But Sam did not pause to proffer the desired information. "Tcha 
got 'ny sense?" was the total extent of his vocal preliminaries before 
flinging himself headlong upon the taunter; and the two boys went 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 475 

to the ground together; they rolled, they pummeled, they ham- 355 
mered, they kicked. Alas, this was a fight! 

They rose, flailing awhile, then renewed their embrace, and, grunt- 
ing, bestowed themselves anew upon our ever too receptive Mother 
Earth. Once more upon their feet, they beset each other sorely, 
dealing many great blows, ofttimes upon the air, but with sum- 360 
cient frequency upon resentful flesh. Tears were jolted to the rims 
of eyes, but technically they did not weep. "Got 'ny sense," was 
repeated chokingly many, many times; also, "Dern ole fool!" and, 
'Til show you!" 

The peacemaker who appeared upon the animated scene was 365 
Penrod's Greatuncle Slocum. This elderly relative had come to 
call upon Mrs. Schofield, and he was well upon his way to the front 
door when the mutterings of war among some shrubberies near the 
fence caused him to deflect from his course in benevolent agitation. 

" Boys! Boys! Shame, boys!" he said, but, as the originality of 370 
these expressions did not prove striking enough to attract any 
great attention from the combatants, he felt obliged to assume a 
share in the proceedings. It was a share entailing greater activity 
than he had anticipated, and before he managed to separate the 
former friends he intercepted bodily an amount of violence to 375 
which he was wholly unaccustomed. Additionally, his attire was 
disarranged, his hat was no longer upon his head, and his temper 
was in a bad way. In fact, as his hat flew off he made use of words 
which, under less extreme circumstances, would have caused both 
boys to feel a much profounder interest than they did in Greatuncle 380 
Slocum. 

"I'll get you!" Sam babbled. "Don't you ever dare to speak 
to me again, Penrod Schofield, long as you live, or I'll whip you 
worse 'n I have this time!" 

Penrod squawked. For the moment he was incapable of coherent 385 
speech, and then, failing in a convulsive attempt to reach his 
enemy, his fury culminated upon an innocent object which had 
never done him the slightest harm. Greatuncle Slocum's hat lay 
upon the ground close by, and Penrod was in that state of irritation 
which seeks an outlet too blindly — as people say, he "had to do 390 
something.''' He kicked Greatuncle Slocum's hat with such sweep 



476 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

and precision that it rose swiftly and, breasting the autumn, 
breeze, passed over the fence and out into the street. 

Greatuncle Slocum uttered a scream of anguish and, immediately, 
ceasing to peacemake, ran forth to a more important rescue; but 395 
the conflict was not renewed. Sanity had returned to Sam Will- 
iams; he was awed by this colossal deed of Penrod's and filled 
with horror at the thought that he might be held as accessory to 
it. Fleetly he fled, pursued as far as the gate by the whole body of 
Penrod, and thereafter by Penrod's voice alone. 400 

" You better run! You wait till I catch you! You'll see what you 
get next time! Don't you ever speak to me again as long as you — " 

Here he paused abruptly, for Greatuncle Slocum had recovered 
his hat and was returning toward the gate. After one glance at 
Greatuncle Slocum, Penrod did not linger to attempt any explana- 403 
tion — there are times when even a boy can see that apologies would 
seem out of place. This one ran round the house to the back yard. 

Here he was greeted by Duke, his little old dog. "You get away 
from me!" said Penrod hoarsely, and with terrible gestures he re- 
pulsed the faithful animal, who retired philosophically to the 410 
stable, while his master let himself stealthily out of the back gate. 
Penrod had decided to absent himself from home for the time being. 

The sky was gray, and there were hints of coming dusk in the 
air; it was an hour suited to his turbulent soul and he walked with 
a somber swagger. "Ran like a c'ardy-calf!" he sniffed, half aloud, 415 
alluding to the haste of Sam Williams in departure. "All he is, 
ole c'ardy-calf!" 

And then as he proceeded up the alley a hated cry smote his 
ears: "Hi, Penrod! How's your tree-mores?" And two jovial 
schoolboy faces appeared above a high board fence. "How's your 420 
beautiful hair, Penrod?" they vociferated. "When you goin' to 
git your parents' consent? What makes you think you're only 
pretty, ole blue stars?" 

Penrod looked about feverishly for a missile, and could find none 
to his hand, but the surface of the alley sufficed; he made mud 425 
balls and fiercely bombarded the vociferous fence. Naturally, 
hostile mud balls presently issued from behind this barricade; and 
thus a campaign developed which offered a picture not unlike a 
cartoonist's sketch of a political campaign, wherein this same 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 477 

material is used for the decoration of opponents. Penrod had been 430 
unwise; he was outnumbered, and the hostile forces held the 
advantageous side of the fence. 

Mud balls can be hard as well as soggy; some of those that 
reached Penrod were of no inconsiderable weight and substance, 
and they made him grunt despite himself. Finally, one, at close 435 
range, struck him in the pit of the stomach, whereupon he clasped 
himself about the middle silently and executed some steps in 
seeming imitation of a quaint Indian dance. 

His plight being observed through a knot hole, his enemies 
climbed upon the fence and regarded him seriously. 440 

"Aw, you're all right, ain't you, old tree-mores?" inquired one. 

"I'll show you!" bellowed Penrod, recovering his breath; and he 
hurled a fat ball — thoughtfully retained in hand throughout his 
agony — to such effect that his interrogator disappeared backward 
from the fence without having taken any initiative of his own in 445 
the matter. His comrade impulsively joined him upon the ground, 
and the battle continued. 

Through the gathering dusk it went on. It waged the hotter as 
darkness made aim more difficult — and still Penrod would not be 
driven from the field. Panting, grunting, hoarse from returning 450 
insults, fighting on and on, an indistinguishable figure in the gloom, 
he held the back alley against all comers. 

For such a combat, darkness has one great advantage, but it has 
an equally important disadvantage — the combatant cannot see 
to aim; on the other hand, he cannot see to dodge. And all the 455 
while Penrod was receiving two for one. He became heavy with 
mud. Plastered, impressionistic, and sculpturesque, there was 
about him a quality of the tragic, of the magnificent. He resem- 
bled a somber masterpiece by Rodin. No one could have been quite 
sure what he was meant for. 460 

Dinner bells tinkled in houses. Then they were rung from 
kitchen doors. Calling voices came urging from the distance, 
calling boys' names into the darkness. They called and a note of 
irritation seemed to mar their beauty. 

Then bells were rung again — and the voices renewed appeals more 465 
urgent, much more irritated. They called and called and called. 

Thud! went the mud balls. 



478 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Thud! Thud! Blunk! 
"Oof!" said Penrod. 

470 

. . . Sam Williams, having dined with his family at their usual 
hour, seven, slipped unostentatiously out of the kitchen door, as 
soon as he could after the conclusion of the meal, and quietly 
betook himself to the Schofields* corner. 

Here he stationed himself where he could see all avenues of ap- 475 
proach to the house, and waited. Twenty minutes went by and then 
Sam became suddenly alert and attentive, for the arc light revealed 
a small, grotesque figure slowly approaching along the sidewalk. 
It was brown in color, shaggy and indefinite in form; and it limped 
excessively, and paused to rub itself and to meditate. 480 

Peculiar as the thing was, Sam had no doubt as to its identity. 
He advanced. 

"'Lo, Penrod," he said cautiously, and with a shade of formality. 

Penrod leaned against the fence, and lifting one leg, tested the 
knee joint by swinging his foot back and forth, a process evidently 483 
provocative of a little pain. Then he rubbed the left side of his 
encrusted face, and, opening his mouth to its whole capacity as 
an aperture, moved his lower jaw slightly from side to side, thus 
triumphantly settling a question in his own mind as to whether or 
no a suspected dislocation had taken place. 490 

Having satisfied himself on these points, he examined both shins 
delicately by the sense of touch, and carefully tested the capacities 
of his neck muscles to move his head in a wonted manner. 

Then he responded somewhat gruffly: 

"'Lor S95 

"Where you been?" Sam said eagerly, his formality vanishing. 

"Havin' a mud fight." 

"I guess you did!" Sam exclaimed, in a low voice. "What you 
goin' to tell your — " 

"Oh, nothin'!" 600 

"Your sister telephoned to our house to see iTI knew where you 
were," said Sam. "She told me if I saw you before you got home 
to tell you sumpthing, but not to say anything about it. She said 
Miss Spence had telephoned to her, but she said for me to tell you 
it was all right about that letter and she wasn't goin' to tell your soa 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 479 

mother and father on you, so you needn't say anything about it 
to 'em." 

"All right," said Penrod indifferently. 

"She says you're going to be in enough trouble without that," 
Sam went on. " You're goin' to catch fits about your uncle Slocum's 510 
hat, Penrod." 

"Well, I guess I know it." 

"And about not comin' home to dinner, too. Your mother tele- 
phoned twice to mamma while we were eatin', to see if you'd come 
in our house. And when they see you — my, but you're goin' to get 515 
the dickens, Penrod!" 

Penrod seemed unimpressed, though he was well aware that Sam's 
prophecy was no unreasonable one. 

"Well, I guess I know it," he repeated casually. And he moved 
slowly toward his own gate. 520 

His friend looked after him curiously — then, as the limping figure 
fumbled clumsily with bruised fingers at the latch of the gate there 
sounded a little solicitude in Sam's voice. 

"Say, Penrod, how — how do you feel?" 

"What?" 525 

"Do you feel pretty bad?" 

"No," said Penrod, and, in spite of what awaited him beyond 
the lighted portals just ahead, he spoke the truth. His nerves were 
rested and his soul was at peace. His Wednesday madness was 
over. 530 

"No," said Penrod; "I feel bully." 

Now turn back to page 64 of Lesson V and write out 
the assignment to be prepared before reading Lesson VI. 



INDEX 



Acquired behavior, p. 87k i8iff, 184ft". 

Acquired interests, p. 871", iSiff, 1848*, 307^ 

Acquisition, p. isoJf, i69ff, 245. 

Action, p. 155, 160, 165. 

Adrenalin, p. 93, 95. 

Advertising, 

analysis of, p. 148*1", 1588". 

insurance, p. 166, 4391". 
Alderson, sales-interview with, 256°. 
Ambition, p. ii9ff. 
Appeals, p. 3098". 

denned, p. 233. 

emotional, see Incitements 

logical, see Ideas. 

necessary steps in thinking out the appeals, p. 3l3ff, 329IF. 

used in selling: 
Barnes, p. 151". 
Alderson, p. 44f, 234. 
Approving behavior, p. 113, nsflF, 23 7f. 

used in selling: 

Barnes, p. 14, 2of. 
Bamum, p. 303. 
Burton, p. 304, 330. 
Arousing Desire, p. 43Sff. 

in case of Barnes, p. igff. 
Attention, see Interest. 

nature of, p. 38 iff. 

one of Sheldon's steps, p. 155, 160. 

secure undivided attention, p. 386f. 

use of reflex behavior in getting attention, p. 9of. 
Avoidance and Rtpulsion Instinct, p. I72ff. 

B 

Bagley-Barnes sales-interview, 4IF. 
Barnes, sales-interview with, 4ff. 



482 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Behavior, 

components of, 57ff. 

native and acquired, p. 856°. 
Behavior toward human beings in general, p. H3rF. 
Belief, p. 231. 

"Bomb," p. 77, 153*!, 160, 234, 258, 435, 472. 
Bond, p. 59, 89X 

Brown-Hartley sales-interview, p. 3666?". 
Burton, sales-interview with, p. 3 isff. 

C 

"Christmas" policy, see Huntley- Kerr sales-interview, p. 304. 
Closing the Sale, p. 448ff. 

cornering the prospect, p. 456f. 

giving prospect "a push," p. 457ff. 

handling a prospect who changes his mind, p. 46if. 

in selling: Alderson, p. 52f.; Barnes, p. 2ifF. 

nature of a decision, p. 449X 

preliminary tactics, p. 45off. 

summarizing reasons and incitements, p. 4536". 

when first attempt to close has failed, p. 46of. 
Coin stunt, p. 30. 
Collecting Instinct, p. 1696°. 
Collins-Hudson sales-interview, p. 2i8ff. 
Complex, p. 151, 228. 

Components of human behavior, p. 57ft", 65s*, 74ff, 856°. 
Compromises, p. 461. 
Construction, p. I22f. 
Convictions, p. 288fF, 313. 

defined, p. 2306°, 297f. 

ideas which convince, p. 259ff. 

methods of securing, p. 2050". 

necessary to sell: 

Alderson, p. 42f, 295. 
Barnes, p. 14. 
Burton, p. 296T, 3 3 of. 
Hudson, p. 295 f. 
Convincing another, p. 20sfF, 288ff. 

"toboggan" method, p. 205fF. 

forcing favorable classification, p. 2086°. 
Curiosity, p. I76ff. 

D 

Desire, p. 155, 160, 165, 249. 

Devices for securing interest or attention, p. 27f, 3of, 317, 358f, 360$, 362fF, 
367f, 372, 383ff, 387, 39 2ff. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE • 483 

Display, p. H7f. 
Dissatisfaction, p. 144^. 
Distraction, how to handle, p. 42 iff. 
Diverting Interest of Prospect, p. 3768". 

in selling Alderson, p. 478"; Barnes, p. 17. 

nature of attention and interest, p. 3 8 iff. 

race between salesman and prospect, p. 3798*. 

securing undivided attention, p. 386k 

E 
Eating Instinct, p. 172, 245. 

"Educational" policy, see Bagley-Barnes sales-interviews, p. 4ff, 409. 
Emotion, p. 87, 92ff, no. 
Endowment policy, p. 5, 219, 315, 440. 
Excuses, p. 4i6f. See Objections. 

F 

Fatigue, p. 178. 

Favorable attention, p. 155. 

Fear, see Flight. 

Feelings, p. 18. See Emotion and Impulse. 

necessity for feeling, p. 442f. 
Fighting Instinct, I02ff, 113, 126, 145, 152, 159, 236f. 
jealousy, p. io7f. 
rivalry, p. 106T. 
used in selling: 

Alderson, p. 43, 52. 
Barnes, p. 15, 21. 

Bill , p. 96T. 

Burton, p. 304, 33off. 
a correspondence course, p. 1 5 iff. 
an automobile, p. 1598". 
Filial affection, p. 143, 152. 
Flight (fear), p. 113, i27f. 

used in selling Burton, p. 3 3 off. 
Following a Leader, p. 113, I23ff, 239ff. 
self-consciousness, p. I24f. 
shyness, p. I24f. 
used in selling Alderson, p. 51. 
"yielding of weakness," p. 251Y. 
"Forcing favorable classification" method of convincing, p. 2o8ff. 
Friendship, p. 144. 
"Funnel," p. 1536°, 160, 234, 258, 435. 

G 
Gregarious Instinct, p. 113, I33ff, 24if. 
Guaranteed principal and income, p. 298*. 
32 



484 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

H 

Habit, p. 87, i84ff, 20sff. 

administrative, p. 21 off. 
Handling Objections, p. 388, 414IF. 

elimination of, p. 4078". 

how to handle, p. 4196°. 

nature of counter ideas, p. 4156°. 
Harrington-Alderson sales-interview, p. 256°. 
Hartley, sales-interview with, p. 3666°. 
"Heart-throb," p. 19, 152. See Impulse. 
Hobbies, p. i93fF. 

appealed to as though they were instincts, p. 194^ 

used in selling: 

Alderson (comb-back chair), p. 27f, 193. 
Barnes (interest in college), p. 14, 20. 
Hartley (interest in music), p. 372. 
Hudson, sales-interview with, p. 2i8fF. 
Hunting Instinct, p. I75f. 

I 
Ideas, p. 15, 228ff, 314^ 4536". 

defined, p. 2306°. 

to be presented in selling life insurance, p. 258fF. 

to be presented in selling a particular company, p. 26ifF. 

overlap with "incitement," p. 258f. 

presentation of necessary ideas, p. 402ff. 
Implied consent, p. 459. 
Impulses, p. 299ff, 313. 

defined, p. 23off. 

necessary to sell: 
Alderson, p. 43. 
Barnes, p. 14. 
Barnum, p. 30off. 
Burton, p. 303^ 330. 
Incitements, p. 15, 258, 314^ 44off, 453fF. 

defined, p. 23 off. 

overlap with "ideas," p. 258f. 

used in selling insurance, p. 2366°. 
Income plan, p. 26, 318. 
Individual Differences, p. I78ff, 397f, 44sf. 
Inertia, p. 178. 
Initiative, p. 278. 
Instinctive Behavior, p. 87, ioofF, nof, i67ff. 

acquisition, possession, collecting, p. 1696*". 

approval and disapproval, p. 113, 1158", 237k 

avoidance and repulsion, p. lyzff. 






SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 485 



common to all men, p. 307 f. 

curiosity, p. I76ff. 

distrust of, p. 43 6f. 

eating, p. 172. 

fighting, p. i02ff, 113, 126, 145, 152, 159. 

flight (fear), p. 113, i27f. 

following a leader, submission, p. 113, 1236°. 

gregariousness, p. 113, I33ff. 

hunting, p. 175k 

leadership, p. 113, ii7rF. 

modification of, p. 1036°. 

parental, p. 113, i4off, I58f. 

readiness of, p. 1446°. 

sex, p. 113, i35ff, i49ff, 1581". 

social, p. 113, 143 f. 

toward animals and objects, p. 167C 

toward human beings, p. 1136°. 

used in selling: 

Alderson, p. 43, 5 if. 
Barnes, p. I4f, I9ff. 
Burton, p. I38f, 304, 330. 
Jones, p. 13 iff. 

visual exploration and manipulation, p. i67fF. 
Interest, see Attention. 

basis of, ioif. 

diverting prospect's, p. 155, 160, 165, 3766°. 

nature of, p. 385^ 

novelty, p. 197. 

preliminary to conviction, p. 401. 

reflex action arouses no interest, p. 90. 
Interests, 

acquired, p. 1846°. 

instinctive, p. ioofF. 

of prospect, p. i7of. 
Interference, cause of anger, p. 85fF. 



Jealousy, p. io7f. 

L 

Leadership, p. 113, Ii7ff, 23 8f. 
ambition, p. H9fF. 
display, p. 1176°. 
used in selling: 

a correspondence course, p. I5lff. 



486 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

an automobile, p. I59ff. 
Barnum, p. 303. 
Loyalty, p. 1236°. 

M 

Manipulation, p. 167ft. 

Manning system of selling, p. 459. 

Mastery, see Leadership. 

Men alike, p. 307^ 445 f. 

Motivation, p. 139, I47ff, I58ff, 229, 334, 412, 437. 

in Bagley-Barnes interview, p. 1635*. 

in Brown-Hartley interview, p. 444k 
Motives, 

for buying life insurance, p. 228ff. 

emotional, see Impulse. 

intellectual, see Conviction. 

primary, p. 1498*. 

recognized in Knack of Selling, p. 247, 2498*. 

recognized in Principles of Salesmanship, p. 252ft 

recognized in The Selling Process, p. 2558". 

secondary, p. 2496°. 



N 



Native behavior, p. 856*. 
Needs of prospect, p. 269k 
Novelty, p. 197, 333. 



Parental Instinct, p. 113, i4off, 144^ 1586 
used in selling: 

Alderson, p. 43, 51. 
an automobile, p. I58ff. 
Barnes, p. 14, 19k 1638", 438. 
Burton, p. 304, 3308". 
Kerr, p. 306k 
Penrod, story of, p. 464^ 

analyzed, p. 62fF. 
"Pent-up," p. 86f. 
Phrenology, p. 27lff. 

Plan to be submitted, p. 5, 26. See Proposition, 
Possession, p. i68ff, 245. 

used in selling an automobile, p. I59f. 
Preparation for selling, see Strategy of selling, 
need for, p. 266, 277fF, 3768". 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 487 

Presenting the Proposition, p. 390JF, 4i4ff, 43Sff. 
in selling Alderson, p. 498"; Barnes, p. i8f. 
three phases: 

securing conviction, p. 2996*". 
handling objections, p. 41411*. 
arousing desire, p. 4356°. 
Pride, p. 117ft, 2 3 8r "- 
Proposition, 276ff, 313. 
submitted to: 

Alderson, p. 26. 
Barnes, p. 13. 

Burton, p. 317; reorganized p. 325ff. 
Prospects, 

interests of, p. 2701". 
needs of, p. 269^ 

personal characteristics of, p. 27lff. 
"picture" of, p. 4, 266ff, 313: 
Alderson, p. 25. 
Barnes, p. 13. 
Burton, p. 315. 
Hudson, p. 219. 
sizing up, p. 394^ 
Psychological moment, p. 449f. 

R 

Readiness to act, p. 1446°. 

Reasoning, its part in selling, p. 399ff. 

Reasons, see Ideas. 

Redding-Burton sales-interview, p. 3isff. 

Reflex action, p. 87, 9off. 

Reorganizing the Strategy, p. 18, 39ofF. 

in selling Alderson, p. 49; Barnes, p. 18. 
Repulsion, p. i72fF. 

Response, p. 58fF, 66ff, 74IF, 79, 230, 29ifF, 4iof. 
Rivalry, p. io6f. 



Salesmen born, not made, p. I25f. 
Sales-interviews, 

Bagley- Barnes, p. 4ff. 

Brown-Hartley, p. 366ff. 

Collins-Hudson, p. 2i8ff. 

Harrington-Alderson, p. 14IF. 

Harvey-Bill , p. 96fF. 

Huntley-Kerr, p. 304^. 



488 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF 

Perkins-Barnum, p. 30off. 
Redding-Burton, p. 3 i5fF. 
Satisfaction, p. I45f. 
of caution, p. 25of. 
of pride, p. 251. 
permanent, p. 155. 
Saving, 

a weak appeal, p. 26of. 
thrift policy, p. 2i8ff. 
Scornful behavior, p. 113, H5fF, 238. 
used in selling: 

Barnes, p. 14, 2of. 
Burton, p. 33 if. 
Securing an Interview, p. 354ff. See Strategy of Prospect, p. 3378*. 
handling subordinates, p. 36off. 
in selling: 

Alderson, p. 46k 
Barnes, p. 17. 
Hartley, p. 366$*. 
interest vs. mystification, p. 3546°. 
salesman's personality, p. 358ff. 
Securing Conviction, p. 3998". 

elimination of counter ideas, p. 4078". 
establishment of necessary ideas, p. 40311". 
in case of: 

Alderson, p. 42f, 49ff, 295. 
Barnes, p. 14, i8f. 
Burton, p. 296f, 329ff. 
Hudson, p. 295 f. 
presentation of necessary ideas, p. 4028". 
Self-consciousness, p. I24f. 
Self-preservation, p. I28f. 
Sense appeals, p. 20of. 
Sentiment, p. 150k 

Sex Instinct, p. 113, I35ff, i$8f, 242ff. 
used in selling: 

an automobile, p. isSff. 
a correspondence course, p. .15 iff. 
a vacuum cleaner, p. i48f. 
Alderson, p. 43, 51. 
Barnes, p. 14, 20, 1636°. 
Burton, p. 304, 33of. 
Kerr, p. 304!?. 
Sheldon's five steps, p. 155, 160. 
Shyness, p. I23f. 
Similarity, p. 307^ 445f. 



SELLING LIFE INSURANCE 489 

Situation, p. S8ff, 66ff, 74ff, 78, 8sf, 230, 29ifF, 4iof. 
Social Instinct, p. 113, 143 f. 
Strategy of prospect, p. 16, 336fT. 
Strategy of selling, p. 2, 136°, 4iff, 264fF. 
five steps in: 

prospect, p. 266ff. 

proposition, p. 276fF. 

convictions of prospect, p. 288ff. 

impulses of prospect, p. 299ff. 

appeals to be made by salesman, p. 3D9 f . 
in case of: 

Alderson, p. 42fF. 

Barnes, p. i3fF. 

Burton, p. 3296°. 
Sublimation, p. 151. 
Submissiveness, p. I23ff, 239fF, 251. 
Suggestion, p. 233. See Motivation. 

negative, p. 254k 
Switch-engine analogy, p. 149k 

T 

Tactics of prospect, p. 34ofF. 
Tactics of Selling, p. 2, i3fF, 4lff, 3 5 iff. 
five steps in: 

securing an interview, p. 354^- 
diverting interest of prospect, p. 376ff. 
reorganizing the strategy, p. 39°ff- 
presenting the proposition, p. 399. 
securing conviction, p. 399ff- 
handling objections, p. 4i4ff. 
arousing desire, p. 435ff. 
closing the sale, p. 448ff. 
in case of: 

Alderson, p. 46ff. 
Barnes, p. I7ff. 
"Thrift" policy, see Collins-Hudson sales-interview, p. 2i8ff. 
"Toboggan" method of convincing, p. 2osff. 



Visual exploration, p. 1676°. 
Wanderlust, p. no, 146. 



V 

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